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.

14. Chapter 13 : Calm before the storm

Chapter 13 : Calm before the storm

Once they had managed to find the crawler assigned to them, the first port of call was the spaceport. Here, they stashed the advance portion of their fee in the Harbringer in case it got lost during the mission. While Crichton was making sure Rygel put the money where he was supposed to (as opposed to hidden pockets in his throne-chair), Aeryn pulled Harrigan aside.

"I've been racking my brain for ideas to make this a little easier, and I may have something" Aeryn explained tentatively. Harrigan turned to face her, saying "Yes?" She didn't say anything, just pointed towards the cockpit. Talannah followed along behind the pair as they walked down to the bridge. When they reached the nav console, Aeryn pointed out several options available under the surveillance section. "We can use this to keep an active record of our progress. In addition, we can photograph documentary evidence and add our own commentaries if needed. This system can hack the planetary commsats to provide a continually-active scrambled link between our equipment and the Harbringer. The system can also integrate the video feed from our helmets into the package. We won't get anything off you, of course" she shrugged "but it's a good start".

Harrigan mulled this over. It did indeed seem a good idea – the more proof we have, the more money we'll be paid, after all – he thought. He nodded to Aeryn, who started retuning the uplinks on their helmetcams, bringing the necessary parts of the comm gear online, and pirating the satellite feeds for their own use. Aeryn then brought up the helmet feed in order to test their gear. "Crichton" she called over the comm "we've got your helmetcam coming in clear. View check. Pan right and left". Crichton did so, which caught Rygel half-out of his chair trying to get at the money. Talannah immediately shot off to the storeroom, grabbed Rygel by the neck, and walked stiffly back to the bridge. "What do you want to do with THIS?!" she growled.

Harrigan walked around the struggling Hynerian, scrutinising him from every side. "Hmmm..." he pondered "Kebab? There's bound to be a suitable skewer around here somewhere". "No" decided Talannah, playing along "That'll leave the outside cooked, but the inside raw". Harrigan scratched his chin, then nodded. "So true, love" he replied "Fried?". Talannah shook her head again "Too much fat. Frying's not good for you". Rygel managed to find enough breath to add "It's no good for me either!", but no-one listened to him. "You think of everything, dear" Harrigan added, giving her a quick kiss. Talannah smiled a little, savouring the feeling, then replied "We could just slice him, and eat him raw...". "Harrigan's faced crinkled up in disgust. "Ugh!" he responded "You never know where he's been! Nah, we'll just have to send him back to Moya with Jool. She's very edgy around guns on the whole, and not that quiet. Jool!" Harrigan yelled.

"Yes?" she replied. "We're calling a transport pod down on automatic" Talannah replied. "You'll be taking Rygel and the money back up to Moya". Aeryn added "Since that'll leave us one short, I got Dargo to put Chiana on the pod. She's stealthy by nature, that'll be useful"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Leave your weapons and armour on the floor over there" Harrigan added, pointing to the flight engineer's console. Jool quickly shucked her armour and dropped her gun on top of it, leaving an untidy pile by the console. "I must say" Jool explained "I'm really rather glad to be going back up to Moya right now. Fighting pitched battles against vastly superior forces may appeal to you military types, but not me. I prefer to keep my insides ON the inside, and my skin intact".

Pilot came on the comm. "The pod you requested is only two hundred microts out. Chiana is actually rather pleased to be getting, as she says, 'a piece of the action'." Crichton turned to Harrigan, who was shaking his head in exasperation. "She's got a bit of a wild streak, has Chi" he explained "We've had to yank her back to reality a couple of times, but on the whole she's good to have around if things get nasty. Be prepared to give sharp discipline, though". Harrigan turned to face Crichton. "I can do that, Crichton. I'm a soldier. I've had to discipline errant troopers before. Besides, there's Aeryn and Talannah as well. Between the three of us, she'll be fine".

Jool looked up at Harrigan. "I'm sorry I'm wimping out, Harrigan" she said, a little fearfully "But while I can use guns, I'm just not at ease around them like Aeryn. Plus you and Talannah act like your guns are just extensions of your bodies. I'm just not like that". Harrigan put one finger under her chin and lifted it up gently. "Hey, Jool" he replied softly "You don't need to be scared of me. I won't eat you. Not everyone's going to be like Talannah, or Aeryn, or even Crichton, and certainly not like me". The others laughed a little at that. "But you pull your weight in Moya's crew, I'm sure. What talents do you bring to this group?" Jool was somewhat encouraged by Harrigan's pep talk, and responded with "Some medical skills, mostly". "See?" Harrigan added brightly "A skill of pivotal importance! I hope we won't need to make use of your services, but it's good to know they're there". Jool tried to respond, but Harrigan placed a finger on her lips, shushing her, and smiled lightly. "It's OK" he said "Go back to Moya and get some rest". He gave her a quick kiss and sent her out the door to the transport pod, which had just landed.

Jool drew Talannah aside as she left. "Is he always so...er..." she faltered, not knowing how to say it without Talannah ripping her to pieces. Talannah caught on at once. "Yes, he is" she smiled "Always. Back on Moya, in the showers, he was so....ohhh" A slight squeal escaped past Talannah's lips as she remembered. "Well, you get the picture". "To be honest" Jool replied "The only thing holding me back was the sure and certain knowledge that you'd shred me into tiny bits if I succumbed". Talannah chuckled softly. "I am fiercely protective of my wonderful John, aren't I?" she added, looking at him. Harrigan sensed this, and blew her a kiss. Jool saw the way she drew herself up more proudly, and smiled herself. "Just keep him safe" she said. "I intend to" Talannah replied fiercely "Very much so".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------

Crichton had just finshed removing the two palm pistols from Rygel's chair and reboxing the money. Harrigan came over and grabbed Rygel, then followed Crichton outside. Once he'd firmly tied Rygel down to a spare chair in the pod, they stashed the money crates well out of his reach. Chiana came out of the pod and waited for them by the Harbringer, tapping her foot on the tarmac.

"Well then" Chiana prompted impatiently "I see Princess over there has frelled up again. What do you need me for?" Harrigan walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "We're going to war, grey lady" he explained "We've just been given a large amount of cash to do a recon mission for this city's king. Since you can move quietly and shoot straight, here you are". Aeryn led her into the Harbringer to put on her armour and weapons, returning a few hundred microts later. Moya's transport pod lifted off under Jool's control for orbit and its mothership in a small cloud of dust. "Oh good" stated Harrigan satirically, turning to look at everyone "Everyone appears to be ready. How nice. Into the crawler, everyone!"

All except Harrigan and Crichton quick-marched into the troop compartment of the crawler and strapped in. After a few microts struggling with the adjustments for the driver's seat, Harrigan was just able to crowbar himself behind the wheel. Crichton jumped up into the front passenger's seat and shut the door. "Everyone OK back there?" Crichton asked. They all replied in the affirmative. "Good" he replied "Aeryn, love, you'd better get on that gun. Just in case". Aeryn climbed up a few short steps, strapped herself into the turret gunner's seat, and powered up the gun. "Gun is armed and ready, Harrigan. We're ready when you are" she stated. Harrigan's reply was to push the accelerator all the way down. After fishtailing wildly, Harrigan brought the crawler back under control and headed for the gate. The checkpoint guard barely managed to raise it in time to avoid having it smashed to kindling, but he did, and the crawler shot out of the palace grounds at top speed and headed for the city gates.

"Crichton" Harrigan asked "Unroll that map we were given. It'll be your job to be our navigator. Just make sure we get to where we're supposed to be, and DON"T get us lost". Police patrols stayed well clear of the speeding crawler, for which Harrigan was thankful. Chiana explained why. "There's some sort of coat of arms on each side. It's probably bad for the career, and continued mortal status, to arrest the driver of a vehicle belonging to the local ruler". Apparently, word of Harrigan's departure had been passed on to the city wall gate guards, because the gates were open when they got there. Harrigan waved to the guards as they shot through, then turned to Crichton and the map. "Well, which way?" he probed. Crichton gave a good long look at the map, then said "Fifteen degrees north-northeast. The terrain gets hilly and rough closer to the base, but we've got a fairly smooth ride until then. Bad news – no vegetation, and barely anything else either. So no cover to hide behind if we run into trouble".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- They passed though a few of the smaller villages ruled by the city in the next quarter arn. The locals recognised the insignia on the doors and cheered them on. However shortly after they left the last village, Aeryn spotted something. "Contact!" she yelled "Three of them, fast moving. Not heading directly at us, but they will see us if they keep going the way they are". Talannah mulled this over, and replied "After what we've been told, I'd have to say they're Charrid attack buggies. Probably a long range patrol group". "We'll try to evade them" Harrigan finally decided "This is primarily a recon mission, after all. We're not being paid to kill Charrids, fun though it may be. I'm keeping us on course for the base". "What if they follow?" Chiana questioned. "One problem at a time, Pip" Crichton replied. Up in the turret, Aeryn had her own ideas about what they'd do if that happened. If they do follow us, she mused, I shoot first and think later!

Four kilometras away, the patrol leader swung one arm over in the direction of Harrigan's crawler and pointed. The buggy patrol immediately turned to follow this new vehicle. The navigator in another buggy powered up his oculars and gazed in that direction as well. "Ithrin troop crawler, sir!" he howled over the roar of his buggy's engine "It carries the insignia of the king's personal guard. They'll be at the base's front entranceway in about another quarter-arn if left alone". The patrol leader toyed with the idea of getting back on patrol and letting the base guards handle this. But two things prevented him from doing this. One – this patrol had been even more boring than usual, and Two – one of the base guards would be bound to drop them in the dren for letting them past.

The patrol leader turned around to face the other two buggies following close behind. "Catch them!" he yelled "The captain can have the crew, but we'll take their equipment first. It'll fetch a fine price. A little something to add to our wages". The patrol immediately went to full speed in pursuit of Harrigan's crawler, and the cloud of dust this generated was soon noticed. "They're getting faster, Crichton!" yelled Chiana, her face pressed up against the aft viewslit. Aeryn chimed in as well. "Confirmed" she added "They're on a direct intercept course. We can't outrun them in this lump. We'll have to hide, or fight". Harrigan shook his head slightly. "Where the frell are we going to hide?" he asked, exasperated. "We've got at least two more kilometras before we reach the hills and even the smallest cover. Try and hold them off". ""If we can just hold for 120 microts, we'll reach those foothills" clarified Crichton, pointing to the relevant location on his map.

Unfortunately the Charrid patrol leader had noticed this as well. He swiftly gave the signal to activate their boosters, and made sure he was strapped in securely. All three buggies immediately leapt forward even faster, rapidly closing the distance between them and their prey. Harrigan's crawler had advanced another kilometra when Chiana yelled "They've got faster again! How'd they do that?!" Harrigan turned to Crichton "Well, well. They've got nitrous cylinders on them thar buggies, have they?" However, Harrigan had no time to finish his musings the lead buggy opened fire, rattling Harrigan's window with small stones and shaking the crawler heavily from the near miss.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Aeryn was returning their fire, but without much success. "They're moving too fast!" she howled "Every time I get off a shot, they move! They're just weaving from side to side, letting off intermittent cannon fire!" However, Aeryn was cut off by an immediate volley from all three buggies. Two hit the side armour, rocking the vehicle but causing no real damage. But the last one hit the power couplings to the gun, permanently deactivating it.

Talannah turned to Harrigan and explained what went wrong. "John, we've just lost the main gun" she clarified, as Aeryn detatched herself from ther gunnery controls, swearing and cursing her bad luck. Harrigan growled a little, his Scarran-enhanced impatience rising before he brought it under control. Squeezing Talannah's hand, he replied "We'll just have to hope our luck holds long enough to reach cover, love". She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned to the others. "Strap in" she ordered tersely "It's going to get very rough". They all made sure their crash webbing was securely fastened, and not a moment too soon; another sustained volley flew in, hitting the side armour from front to back. "Breach!" screamed Chiana "We've got a fist-sized hole in the side armour about half a henta from my head!" "That ain't all!" Harrigan yelled back "We just took a hit to the engine block!" Some very nasty rattling noises started to come from the engine bay below them with increasing frequency, and a thin stream of smoke as well.

"Hold, frell you, hold..." Harrigan muttered, as several more blasts hit close by, causing minor damage and rocking the crawler from side to side with the shockwaves. But the group's luck did not, unfortunately, hold; the Charrid leader, sensing his enemy's imminent end, ordered sustained fire from all buggies. "We're going over!" screamed Chiana again, as the heavy impacts lifted the crawler up, flipped it over, and threw it against the nearby hillside. Once the crawler had stopped rolling, Harrigan ripped his webbing away, and came aft into troop section to check if everyone was still safe. "Everyone still alive in here?" he asked "Scrapes, stings bruises, or any other injuries?"

Thankfully, except for being extremely shaken and surprised, everyone else was unharmed. "We're all fine, John" Talannah soothed "Since we all used our crash webbing, and it held as required, no injuries were sustained". Harrigan held Talannah close, stroking her brow and running his fingers over her face. "I must admit, I was afraid for you a bit" he admitted softly, so the others couldn't hear. She laughed lightly, and responded with "It takes more than a rolled crawler to hurt a Scarran, John!" "I know" he continued, lowering his head "But my need and love for you made me afraid anyway". Talannah put her arms around her lover slowly and pulled him closer, and gave him a long, slow, probing kiss in response. Harrigan reluctantly broke away, saying "There'll be plenty of time for that after the mission, dear". Then he turned to the others. "Out!" he ordered "Grab you weapons and let's dump this thing before those Charrids use it for target practice! Move!!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Suitably encouraged, they all scrambled out of the wrecked crawler and over to the nearest hillock. Not a moment too soon either – as a few microts later the fuel tank let go, causing a massive explosion that totally destroyed the crawler and everything left in it. "We're going to need alternative transportation" Crichton reminded them "There's still four kilometras to go until we reach the base. Talannah and Harrigan may be able to make that on foot...". Both of the grinned at that, nodding, the Crichton continued with "...but the rest of us won't make two hundred metras before they catch us".

Hmm... pondered Harrigan. An idea was rapidly forming in his brain. Yes, he decided, we'll do it! Those Charrids won't know they've been stung until it's too late. Talannah recognised the signs of his decision, mostly because a nasty grin was forming on his face as he thought it over. "So, what's next?" she prompted. "Crichton, Aeryn, Chi! Over here!" Harrigan ordered. When they had gathered round, Harrigan explained his plan. "Right, here's how it goes. Since they know Sebaceans serve in Ithlin's armies, Aeryn and Crichton will act as bait and run towards that hill over there" he briefed, indicating the hill. "As the buggies come closer, Talannah, Chiana and myself will kill the crews". Harrigan turned and faced Chiana. "This will depend on you, Chiana" Harrigan explained gravely "I'll need your shooting to be accurate and fairly quick". Chiana looked back at him, replying with "No problem, Harrigan! I'll be just fine!" Harrigan gave her shoulder a quick squeeze, finishing with "We'll be waiting for your first shot. Station yourself on that hill over there" he continued, pointing to the right one "Let them come close, then take out the gunner on the nearest buggy. When you fire, that'll be the signal for Talannah and I to finish off the others from over here", and pointed to another hill behind them.

"I can't say I like my position in this" mused Aeryn "But Crichton's come up with some really wild plans that should never have worked as well, and I've lived through those. We'd better move. The buggies are almost on top of us" she finished, pointing at a cloud of dust three hundred metras away. Chiana smiled, savouring the feel of that squeeze – but not even she was foolish enough to risk Talannah's wrath. So she scrambled up the hill and aimed her rifle at the leading buggy. The driver had by now spotted Aeryn and Crichton running for cover and gave the order to pursue. Chiana shivered a little, but clamped down on her fear and placed her first shot straight through the driver's chestplate. She immediately ducked down behind the hill, hoping she wouldn't be seen. By now, Harrigan and Talannah had unslung their G8C's, and started laying down fire on the other Charrids. One driver managed to turn his buggy around and high-tail it out of there, but the others were swiftly deprived of their crews.

By now Chiana had stuck her head over the cliff to see what was going on. Talannah noticed this and yelled out "Go and get Crichton and Aeryn and bring them back here!". When they arrived, the bodies of the Charrids were unceremoniously dumped at the side of the track. "Our enemies have generously decided to donate these 'ere buggies to our war effort" Harrigan exclaimed happily "Let's make full use of them. I, for one, have no desire to walk four more kilometras when we have two perfectly serviceable buggies right here".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrrigan mulled over how they'd split their little group between the two buggies. Finally, he arrived at a decision that was both tactically sound and personally pleasing. "We travel by matched pairs" he explained, putting an arm around Talannah's shoulders. "Aeryn – you and Crichton take that one..." Harrigan pointed to the buggy now on the far side of the track "with Chiana. Talannah and I will take this one. Chiana?" Harrigan asked "Anything salvageable on those bodies?"

"Are you suggesting we rob these corpses?" Chiana exclaimed, wondering what sort of reply she'd get. "It's not 'corpse robbing'" Harrigan explained "It's 'battlefield salvage' or 'spoils of war'. Anyway, it's safer than doing it while they're alive, and we may need what they've got". About three hundred microts later, Chiana had liberated two tokkra knives, five tarvek grenades, four pulse rifles and two pistols, a notebook, plus 110 krepna between all six bodies. Harrigan stashed the notebook in his trouser pocket and passed the money over to Aeryn. Then, after deciding to keep the tarvek grenades himself, Talannah passed out one pistol each to Chiana and Crichton.

"Aeryn..." he asked sceptically "Correct me if I'm wrong, but those rifles don't look too reliable. The grenades are good, and the pistols aren't bad, but those rifles look like they're long overdue for an overhaul". Aeryn only needed a cursory look at them before she nodded. "Too frelling unstable by half" she replied tersely "Smells like the coils have burnt out on those two..." a finger indicated the two in question "and while the others look OK outwardly, I wouldn't trust them". Harrigan then stepped on each of the unwanted rifles, crushing them beyond hope of repair. Aeryn and John were in a bit of a spat over who should drive, Chiana watching with some amusement from the hillside. "Aeryn, dear, come on!" Crichton pleaded "I've driven cars like these loads of times back on Earth! The ground here isn't half as bad as the beaches I've driven over. I have to drive!" Aeryn, fuming, replied heatedly with "Crichton! Why do you have to argue with eveything I say?! Your holiday pleasure drives do not compare with Peacekeeper combat driver training in any meaningful way! I drive!"

Before round two could start, Harrigan intervened. "Fun though it may be to watch you two, we do have a mission to complete". Then he looked to Talannah, who finished with "Anyway, Aeryn tripped herself up rather neatly with her last argument. Peacekeeper combat driver training is better. That's exactly why she's taking the gunner's position. She has vastly superior skill at hitting moving targets from a moving vehicle" Talannah looked questioningly at Harrigan, who pointed to the gun on their buggy. "I'll be taking the main gunner's position on our buggy. Chiana," she ordered "You'd better learn quick how to use that passenger side gun on your buggy. The two men will drive"

Both Crichton and Harrigan were only too happy to obey. Since they were designed for Charrids, Harrigan had little trouble adjusting the seat to fit him. Both Aeryn and Talannah quickly strapped themselves into the gunnery harnesses on the pintle turrets, while Chiana looked over the weapon in front of her seat. Aeryn saw this and spoke up. "It's very simple, Chiana" she explained "You hold this end, point the other end at the enemy, then pull that little lever just there with your finger". Harrigan and Crichton both laughed out loud at that one.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Even Talannah joined in as well. The sight of a Scarran actually laughing so surprised Aeryn and Crichton that they just sat and stared at her. Chiana just sat in her seat, staring at her gun crossly. Within fifteen microts, they had all calmed down. Even Chiana's displeasure had dissipated. Harrigan restarted his buggy's engine and Crichton did the same. "You lead, Crichton" Harrigan decided "You've got the best idea of where we need to go. Gunners, stand ready! Crichton, go!"

Crichton said nothing, he just spun the wheels and shot off up the hill in a cloud of dust. Harrigan grinned happily, mashed the accelerator to the floor and took off after him in his own buggy. Though his enhanced eyesight could easily pierce the dust cloud, all he had to do was follow the sound of Aeryn's litany of complaints at Crichton's rough driving. Crichton spotted a small hump in the grass, and gave his buggy some more throttle. His buggy went airborne, coming back down to earth some eight metras further on. A shrill Nebari "Yayaya!!" from Chiana, who obviously approved of the acrobatics, drowned out Aeryn's complaints, finally shutting her down.

A little further on, Harrigan spotted an uneven rock ramp up ahead. He yelled up at Talannah, pointing this out with a huge cheesy grin on his face. She caught on at once. "You're frelling mad, John!" she replied heatedly "That's absolutely..." and descended into colloquial Scarran to describe exactly what she thought of this idea. None of this dissuaded Harrigan in the slightest, who aimed the buggy dead-centre at the ramp and went to maximum speed. He grinned at Talannah again and pressed the big red button controlling the nitrous oxide system as well. His buggy, along with its loudly howling passenger, shot off the ramp at almost 130 kmh. Once airborne, Harrigan shifted his enormous bulk sharply sideways. The rapid weight shift caused the buggy to go through a slow barrel roll over the top of Crichton's buggy, treating those below to the slightly queasy look reluctantly on Talannah's face only a few hentae or so away, before landing the right way up twelve metras ahead. After a loud THUNK! as the suspension bottomed swiftly and loudly, the buggy bounced back up, continuing on its way at a moderately reduced speed once Harrigan shut off the nitro. He let off a wild SKREEEE! of excitement, which caused numerous wild animals to run for their lives, before slowing down for Crichton to catch up.

"That was REALLY wild, Harrigan!" Crichton yelled over the engine's roar as he pulled alongside. "Thank you very much! Two hundred krepna says you can't do it!" teased Harrigan. "NO!" decided Aeryn firmly, clamping down hard on that idea "That's enough frell-brained stunts for this mission! And we DO have a MISSION to do, don't we?!" she yelled. "Don't worry, Aeryn" Harrigan laughed softly "We won't. I was just egging you on. We're almost there now, aren't we Crichton?" Chiana unrolled the map. Crichton took a quick look and nodded. "About four hundred metras past the next bend. Better get back on the guns, ladies" he urged.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- They all swiftly returned to the matter at hand. Harrigan waved his left hand, directing Crichton to come up on the inside edge.

At the Charrid guard post, they had watched the whole show on the remote cameras. One of the five guards had made 150 krepna off his fellows when he was the only one who thought Harrigan would land his buggy properly without causing a massive pile-up, and was not helping his dwindling popularity by laughing constantly at his colleague's misfortune. They were so concentrated on trying to beat their newly rich comrade to within an inch of his life that they didn't notice the occupants orf the speeding buggies were not Charrid until Chiana opened fire on the brawling mass with the forward pulse gun on her buggy, killing two. Talannah and Aeryn opened fire almost immediately afterwards from their pintle guns, blasting Charrid entrails, brain matter and miscellaneous bodily fluids all over the concourse.

Both buggies pulled up sharply in a cloud of dust, their drivers spinning them round to point back down the hill. They all piled out of their respective buggies and headed towards a badly-concealed entrance Harrigan had spotted on the way in. Talannah spotted the cameras swivelling back towards them and put a round through each of them. Then she turned back to Harrigan, letting her gun hang on its sling and placing her hands on her hips. The sight of this caused a low wolf-whistle to escape from Harrigan's lips. "What was that for?" she barked. "I was just thinking..." Harrigan murmured, running a finger over her face and down her neck "...that you look so beautiful when you're angry". Talannah wriggled in delight as his finger reached the collar of her uniform and started to delve inside; then she pulled him around, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a soft, long, and passionate kiss.

When this had gone on for thirty microts without any sign of stopping, and indeed showed many signs of going further, Crichton tapped Harrigan on the shoulder. Harrigan and Talannah reluctantly stopped their kiss, though they kept their arms tightly around each other. "Save it for the honeymoon, you two" he said lightly "We'd better get on with this before they catch on". The couple separated, but not too far, and walked over to the door, with Harrigan admiring her firmly muscled figure and smooth curves every step of the way.

When they reached the door it was all business. "Talannah?" he asked, pointing at the door. She scratched her chin, going over the options, then brought out a small power tool which she inserted in the card slot. A shower of sparks later, she opened the door and moved in followed by Harrigan, Chiana, and Crichton, with Aeryn bringing up in the rear.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Here's how it goes" ordered Harrigan, once they were all further down the corridor "Zero-presence profile. Chiana, that means eyes and ears open, mouth shut, and the absolute minimum of noise. Get me?" Chiana just nodded. Harrigan slapped her lightly on the shoulder and continued "Next, shooting. If we can't avoid shooting our way in or out, leave the first shots to me and Talannah." When Aeryn gave him a slightly odd look, he explained why. "The noise and flash from your pulse weapons will give our position away. Talannah and I both have suppressed projectile weapons". He tapped his G8C, then added "But if anyone feels the need to get nasty with a knife, that's fine by me. Just do it quietly".

The last living buggy driver had just been intercepted by the guard commander as he returned to his barracks. "What sort of malingerer are you?" he growled as the buggy driver, who walked into the barrack room and flopped down on a couch, exhausted. "You ought to be out on patrol!" The buggy driver turned a nasty glare on his superior. "I've just come in from patrol, actually" he growled back "We spotted an Ithrin troop crawler heading for the base's back entrance. We eventually managed to disable it at the start of those small hillocks. We saw two Sebaceans running up the hill and moved in. Unfortunately we didn't see the rest of the vehicle's crew – because they popped out from cover on both sides of the track and took out every last Charrid there. I'm the only one left." His superior just said "Don't go anywhere" and walked out, heading for the CIC.

Harrigan and Talannah led their little group deeper underground into the concealed base. When they reached the end of the entrance tunnel, Harrigan's fist shot up. The rest of them came up close as Harrigan sniffed, testing the air for enemies. Then he turned to Aeryn. "Charrids" he said "Lots of them. I can't yet tell how many are close by, but they're out of sight. If those signs are accurate, the comm shack's that way". Talannah looked at the indicated sign and nodded. "Follow me, people" he whispered, moving off down the right-side corridor. Talannah moved up alongside him and the rest followed in single file. When they reached the next junction, Talannah stuck her head out and looked straight at the back of the head on a Charrid guard standing outside of the comm shack, bored out of his skull. Without hestitation, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, her hands clamped onto his skull, and she twisted hard. A short crunch of broken vertebrae later, she dragged the body out of sight and waved the others forward.

Harrigan's sensitive ears picked of the voices of several Charrids from inside. He held up four fingers, one for each hostile trooper, then turned to Talannah and gave the signal to go to secondary weapons. Both slung their G8C's and drew their Vipers. Harrigan tapped the door with his Viper barrel, saying "Lunch here, guys" in his best Charrid voice. One comtech made the last mistake of his short life and opened the door to investigate. Harrigan immediately grabbed him by the neck with his empty left hand and threw him hard against the wall. The body bounced off the wall with a wet crack and collapsed on the floor in a heap.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ The pair of them burst in through the door, their Vipers spitting bursts into Charrid bodies. Apart from the screams of dying Charrids , the only sounds were the soft 'brrp-brrp' of the Vipers. There did turn out to be two extra Charrids than previously expected, but Talannah shot one in the head and Harrigan grabbed the other round the neck. "Come on in guys!" he hissed. Aeryn, Crichton, and Chiana came in; Chiana and Crichton almost gagging at the charnel-house stench of Charrid corpses and body fluids confined in the small room. Harrigan spun his Viper around his finger; three times forward, once back; before reloading it and replacing it in his holster.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"asked Harrigan rhetorically. "You are in really deep dren now, old son" he continued, addressing the captured Charrid "and sinking deeper by the second. In fact, you're going to help me out a little. You're going to tell me how to get in to that there safe without destroying the contents". The Charrid just cackled, and spat on the floor. "Crichton?" Harrigan asked "If you would be so kind as to drag that metal table over here, please? Aeryn, just throw Talannah that coil of wire".

Both items were procured swiftly. Harrigan held the Charrid flat on the table while Aeryn and Talannah bound his wrists and ankles to the table legs. Harrigan waved the others away from the table and addressed the Charrid, who was just becoming aware of how badly things were now going for him. "You really aren't being a good little boy now, are you?" Harrigan chided "I think a little additional...motivation...is in order" and promptly let loose a high voltage electrical blast from both arms straight into the table. The Charrid was very shaken by this. This man interrogating me is obviously no Sebacean, or Scarran, and certainly no Charrid, so what is he? the Charrid mused, once the immediate effects had worn off and he was able to think straight again. He's certainly very angry, and not inclined to negotiate at all – he probably learnt interrogation techniques from that mean-looking Scarran female next to him.

"Anything to say?" Harrigan prompted. The Charrid kept his mouth firmly shut. Even he knew by now that he wouldn't be leaving this room upright and living, and decided to try and buy some time for the base security forces to reach this comm shack and kill these intruders. "No? Oh deary, deary, deary me! I'm just going to have to 'enlighten' you again..." and gave him another blast. Once the Charrid's tortured screams had died away, Harrigan spoke again. "Now listen here, old boy. You're not exactly being too helpful, are you? You can help me out right now, and your death will be swift and merciful – or I'll call Talannah over there, who will make you sing loud, long, and painfully. She's a Deadhead, did you know that?"

The Charrid's eyes went wide when Talannah stepped forward. The fear quotient increased markedly, and he writhed madly as his shoulders made a spirited attempt to dig his way out to freedom through the table. "It appears that he HAS heard of Deadheads before" remarked Harrigan "Isn't that nice? Me and my friends will just go outside for a few microts so you two can get properly acquainted. Just scream if you need me. Come now" Harrigan addressed Aeryn, Crichton, and Chiana "We can't interrupt a reunion of old friends, can we?" and led them towards the door.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Nooooo!!" howled the Charrid "I'll tell you! Just don't let her near me!". Harrigan turned round to their captive Charrid. "So you actually want to talk now, hmmm?" Harrigan queried. "Yes, yes!" the Charrid babbled in fear. "I've got a better idea" decided Harrigan "You'll open that safe yourself. Undo them cables, people". A few pulse blasts shredded the improvised restraints, and the Charrid slid off the table onto the floor. Talannah grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him over to the safe door. "Open up" she ordered, waving one of the tokkra knives that she'd managed to liberate from the buggies when no one else was looking.

The Charrid, in abject fear of Talannah, fumbled with the dials, seemingly unable to get started. "I'm close to losing my temper here, mate..." Harrigan prodded the Charrid. "Get that door open NOW, or I'll turn the power all the way up and you'll dance the electric fandango all over this nice clean floor". A short crackle moved over his right hand, as if to emphasise his words. The by now thoroughly cowed Charrid opened the door without further incident, even though Talannah decided to grin slightly at him.

Once the safe door was open, Harrigan gave a swift signal. Talannah swiftly drew one of her swords and decapitated him in one fluid swing, then wiped the blood off the blade on the now ex-Charrid's uniform before resheathing it. "Aeryn" Harrigan asked "Get that transmitter powered up. We'd better submit a progress report. Connect us to the Ithlin war room. Tal, my love" he continued, in a softer and more loving tone "Could you turn that antisurveillance unit of yours on? A little privacy would be most welcome". A low, slightly unpleasant, hum filled the room; evidence that the unit was working as intended. Aeryn soon had the captured Charrid comm gear up and running. She placed the call and waited for a response.

It was early evening now in Ithlin. The chief of staff was shaken out of a mid-afternoon rest by his aide and advised of the incoming transmission. "Advise the king of this development, and get him in here now!" the Luxan ordered "Get as many of the king's court as can be found here as well! Go!" Three hundred microts later, the king and four of his closest advisors strode into the room. "I hope there's a good reason for dragging us out of a meeting with my counterpart from Orthal" the king grumbled. The chief of staff knew just how to respond to that. "If you consider a call placed by that mercenary you hired from within the Charrid base a good reason, Your Majesty, then yes there is" he replied. The king barked "Put him through!"

Aeryn backed off so Harrigan could stand where the king could see him. Lieutenant Harrigan?" the king enquired. "Yes, Your Majesty?" Harrigan replied, wondering just how many other seven-and-a-half foot, half-ton, halfbreed mercs there it could have been. "Status report, please" he ordered. "I am pleased to report, sire, that my group has gained entrance to a base present at the coordinates given to us by you." Harrigan explained "We've managed to crack the comm shack's safe and are prepared to download the contents to you now. Aeryn?" Harrigan asked out of the corner of his mouth. "Yes?" she replied. "Send it" Harrigan ordered. Half an arn later, Aeryn said "That's it". "I am advised that all the material has been sent to you, Your Highness" Harrigan concluded "I hope it is useful?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The chief of staff, the king, and his advisors spent a further quarter-arn giving the material a quick inspection. "It does appear to contain some useful military information" the king revealed. "We won't know it's true value for about a weeken, but I'm prepared to add a bonus of 1000 krepna to your fee right now".

Harrigan turned to Aeryn, Talannah, and Chiana – who all nodded. "Very good, Your Majesty" Harrigan continued "Our next move is to attempt to infiltrate the CIC or war room here. The really good stuff will be in there. Does this meet with your approval, sire?" This time it was the king's turn to turn to his advisors. They all nodded, agreeing that this would be a good idea. "My advisors say that this would be most useful. But don't take unnecessary risk, Lieutenant!" warned the king "I may need you later, and you and your people aren't any use to me dead." Then the transmission cut off.

"Well, let's get going!" Harrigan ordered "We ain't getting paid by the hour!" His little group moved out slowly, inching their way towards the center of the base as Talannah and Harrigan attempted to make sense of the wall signs (they were, after all, the only ones able to read the Charrid language). They had several close calls with base personnel on the way. One almost escalated into a firefight – but Talannah barked out a few words in Scarran, which caused the Charrids to back away swiftly. Harrigan wondered uneasily about that, and asked his friends about it. "The Charrids have appeared to secure an alliance with the Scarrans" explained Aeryn "We found this out ourselves some time ago. What I don't like is how familiar these particular Charrids seem to be with the Scarran people and language" she finished uneasily. Talannah concurred. "I have to agree with Aeryn" she advised "It doesn't look good. Two things suggest themselves. 1) That a large assault force has been imported from Scarran- controlled planets to assist the local rebels, or 2) Some actual Scarrans, probably a special action unit, are on-planet pursuing a parallel agenda, and have encountered these personnel". Chiana cut in with an even bleaker option. "Or 3)" she added "Both of the above are true".

"I see you're cultivating a proper military outlook already, Chiana" Harrigan replied grimly "But one thing at a time. It's highly unlikely we'll be able to sneak into the CIC. But by the time we leave, we'll have opened up a hornet's nest". Though only two of those present actually knew what a hornet was, the meaning was instantly apparent to all. "We're probably talking large-scale firefights here, people. You could die. Anyone who wants to leave, now's the time". To everyone's credit, and Harrigan's relief and surprise, no one left. Harrigan thanked them all profusely, saying "Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your faith in me. This will be my first combat mission where the buck stops with me. I've been in others" he elucidated, rubbing his temples. Talannah noticed his tenseness, and came over to give him a shoulder rub, which soothed him greatly. "Thanks, love" Harrigan murmured "You're a lifesaver". Then he turned back to the others. Talannah stood next to him, ready to give any support he needed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "As I said, I've been in others, but Captain Lazarus always did the hard thinking and decision making. I've seen the stress that put him under. I just had the big gun, and the job of making sure none of the troops got lost or slunk off anywhere". Aeryn came over and looked straight into his eyes. "We're all here for you, Lieutenant" she reassured him. "There was a first time for me when I was still with the Peacekeepers as well. But I pulled through. So will you" Aeryn gave his shoulder a quick squeeze and went back to Crichton. Crichton just gave him a double thumbs-up. Chiana came over and grinned up at him. "What could possibly go wrong? We're here with you!" she added. Harrigan hugged her tightly, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, before releasing her to go back to her place. She had to forcibly restrain herself from squealing in pleasure from the feel of Harrigan's embrace, but Nebari willpower triumphed and she returned to her place without incident. Talannah just wrapped her arms around him and drew him close. "Oh my love!" he cried softly in her ear, leaning on her shoulder. She squeezed him softly, running her fingers through his buzz- cut hair, and replied with "I'm always with you. ALWAYS. Besides, you haven't led us wrong yet. Not all officers would have got us this far alive and intact, especially after that aerial buggy incident of yours on the way here. Let's go and get what we came for and get out of here before they catch us".

Harrigan reluctantly disengaged himself from Talannah's arms and faced the others. "Enough with all this touchy-feely dren" he decided, lifting up his G8C to the ready position "Let's get moving. Follow me". The others raised their weapons and followed. They managed to dodge the occasional patrols that dotted the base for a whole quarter-arn before they reached a guard post outside the CIC. As luck would have it, a six-man patrol was passing through at the same time. Harrigan swept his arm forward, ordering the group to open fire. Torrents of pulse fire came from both sides as the Charrids scrambled for what cover the guard hut provided. But they were unfamiliar with the penetrative effects of large projectile weapons. Harrigan and Talannah simultaneously triggered long bursts into the guard hut, sweeping from left to right. The steel needle-nose rounds shattered the lightly built booth and the bodies of the occupants within, depositing the remains of both all over the walls and floor.

But two had managed to bolt inside the CIC and lock the door. A muffled cry of "Peacekeepers!" was heard, and a flurry of orders from the Charrid senior officers followed as they bullied their bodyguard units into defensive positions. By a fortuitous accident Talannah had left her antisurveillance unit on, so no orders could reach outside the room to the base garrison. "Are they ever wrong" Harrigan sniggered, and beckoned Aeryn forward. The pair of them placed tarvek charges on the door, one at the top and one at the bottom, set at one-half yield. Aeryn pointed frantically at the junction they had passed though on the way here, and they all ran for cover. Harrigan set the detonators for seven microts, activated them, and leapt at full speed for his friends. He reached them with three microts to spare. Just after he righted himself, a thunderous roar reverberated over the whole section of the base as the charges detonated. This blew the door into thousands of razor-sharp shards, which scythed acroos the large expanse of the CIC, killing most troops present, and down the corridor to kill three troops who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Grak ta'haa!! (literally 'Board and storm!', but often used for 'Charge!' as well)" Harrigan yelled in Old Scarran, charging in through the smoke.

He emerged into a scene of utter chaos, whch he capitalised on immediately by emptying the current magazine on his G8C into some of the remaining Charrid troops. While he reloaded, Talannah led the rest of them in an assault to capture the main battle management computers. All of them acquitted themselves admirably, though they all had some kind of cut, bruise, or other minor injuries by the time the enemy troops were killed or captured. As Aeryn was applying first aid to Chiana's cuts and minor pulse burns, Talannah was scanning the captured officers, looking for anyone important. When she saw an especially ornate rank emblem, she beckoned for Harrigan to join her. When she had explained what the emblem meant, Harrigan grinned nastily. "Well, looky here!" he said happily "Mr high-and-mighty base commander himself! You're nicked, chum. You're coming with us". The officer in question tried to bolt for a secondary exit, but Chiana was in front of it. She applied her small pointed boot with great speed and precision to his groin. His agonised squeal even made the other Charrids cringe in sympathy. Then Chiana followed that up by ramming his head against the concrete wall twice, knocking him out. "Top work, Pip!" encouraged Crichton. "Cuff him" ordered Talannah "Wrists and ankles! We'll earn a nice fat fee by bringing him back with us! What do you want done with the rest of them?" she asked Harrigan.

"Kill 'em all" he responded coldly "No prisoners. They're worthless, the whole lot of them.". While Talannah had no problem with this, and even Aeryn understood why, Crichton looked on with shock. "There must be more of the Scarran in you than I thought" he exclaimed, horrified. "Are you seriously suggesting we shoot them all in cold blood?" "They'd do the same to us without hesitation" Harrigan barked back at him "This is war, Commander! I won't leave potential enemies alive behind us, so they can try to kill us again! We take them out now, while we can. Aeryn, Talannah?" he ordered bluntly "Finish them. Now". A half-dozen or so shots later, the only living people present were Harrigan's assault team and the captured base commander. "Ladies!" he ordered again "Get the auxiliary comm gear online and jacked into the battle computers. When you've done that, let me know". Harrigan slumped against the wall and reached for some combat rations in his pack. "Much better" he breathed, after wolfing down one pack. "The rest of you had better eat while you can. Crichton, Chiana – eat up now, we won't have time to stop on the way out. Tal and Aeryn can chow down while I sort out the download and sitrep to the king". They each ate two packs while waiting for Aeryn and Talannah to power up the computers and comm gear.

"Done!" yelled Talannah. Harrigan gave her a quick squeeze, then put himself through to the night watch officer in the palace. Several arns had passed since their last call, and it was now almost midnight in Ithlin. "This is Lieutenant Harrigan checking in!" Harrigan explained to the comm officer "Wake up the king, and drag the chief of staff and war room crews out of bed as well! We don't have much time. Move it!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan heard the yellow-alert sirens sound in the palace. Night crews quickly emerged into the war room, stationing themselves at consoles and map tables. A hundred microts later, the king walked in, accompanied by his chief of staff. "Well, well, Lieutenant" grumbled the king "You certainly keep my staff on their toes. Me as well, it seems. What do you have for us?"

"I report to you now, Your Majesty, from inside the enemy war room!" Harrigan exclaimed happily "No serious casualties sustained, only a few minor injuries. The enemy battlecomps are online and ready to download their information to you right now, sire." The king looked over at a tech, who nodded. "Go to it, man!" he ordered. Harrigan, in turn, pointed at Aeryn, who tapped out a flurry of commands on her terminal. A voice in Sebacean came over the speakers. "Core dump in progress" the computer reported "Time remaining : 38 momen, 20 microts", and then started counting down to zero. Harrigan looked over at Talannah, who immediately deployed the others in defensive position for maximum coverage in the event of attack.

"There you have it, Your Majesty" Harrigan continued. "We also have this.." he added, grabbing the Charrid commander by the collar and hoisting him up to camera level "The base commander. I'll bring him back for you, if you want him" he finished. And, of course, he added in his own head, if the pay's right. "You have done very well indeed" praised the king "None of my own troops have made it as far as you and lived to tell the tale. An additional 2000 krepna will be yours on your return, plus an additional 3000 if you bring that base commander back alive for interrogation".

A harsh hooting noise came over their own sirens about half way throught he download. Since the download couldn't be stopped from outside the CIC, the only option left to the remaining Charrid forces was to rush through both entrances and try to overwhelm Harrigan's troops by force of numbers. Harrigan decided he would have to move out fast once the download had finished, or be quickly crushed. He set the computers to shut down and break the link once the download had finished, plus he placed his remaining tarvek charges on the computer banks, set on full yield, armed to detonate ten momens after the download had finished. They would have to move fast to avoid being buried in the rubble, but it was doable.

Harrigan walked over to Aeryn and Crichton. "Save your grenades for when we break out. You are the only ones with grenades still left" he asked "We're all low on ammo right now – you guys more so than me and Talannah, but both of us only have three mags each with us now. Pick your shots carefully – only shoot at what you can hit". He similarly encouraged Chiana to conserve her ammo as well. She smiled back at him, assuring him that she wanted to get out alive as much as they did.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Finally, Harrigan beckoned them all over to the left side of the entranceway to the CIC. "Aeryn" Harrigan asked "Could you stick your head out and see if we've got any visitors?".

Aeryn cautiously peeked out past the doorframe and almost got it blown off by and eager Charrid forming up with his comrades for the attack. "Far too many!" she hissed, dropping to the floor and raising her rifle "At least fifteen! But they're all bunched up because of the narrow corridor. How long has that bucket of dren got to go before the download's done?" Chiana sprinted over to the main access console, grabbed a quick look at the display, and yelled "Twelve momens, 4 microts!" back to Aeryn before sprinting back to her position. The countdown display seemed to tick down agonisingly slowly for the next ten momens, it seemed as if they could hear each individual microt pass. "Three momens!" barked Talannah a little later "Get ready!"

The situation took an unexpected turn for the better when, two momens later, the battlecomp said "Last file transferred to main memory. New estimated time to download end : 20 microts". "That's what we need to hear!" whooped Crichton "Time-to-leave indicator!" Harrigan pointed to Aeryn and Crichton, barking out "Prep your tarvek grenades, you two! Ready to throw..." he quickly stuck his head out for a look, then retreated back in and finished off with "...on my mark! Get ready to rock, guys!" Just then, the battlecomp started the final countdown. "Time remaining : 10 microts...9...8...7..." it intoned flatly. Harrigan gave the signal to ready weapons. Aeryn joined Harrigan on the left side of the door, while Chiana joined Crichton and Talannah on the right. Tarvek grenades were armed by Aeryn and Crichton, who nodded to Harrigan that they were ready. Harrigan brought up his arm in readiness, as the countdown reached "...4...3...2...1...0. Download finished". Then a harsher beep-beep became apparent as the tarvek charges kicked in with their own countdown.

Harrigan brought his arm down sharply. "Go!" he yelled. Aeryn and Crichton hurled their grenades in perfect harmony, watching them bounce down the corridor. The sight of these grenades caused a mad rush amongst the Charrids as they tried to either throw the grenades back, or just run like frell for hard cover. But Aeryn had told Crichton to set their fuses for only three microts; so just as one Charrid managed to pick up a grenade, both went off before it had got even one henta off the floor. The boom of the explosion was followed by a wet greenish-black cloud of Charrid blood going splat! on the walls. "Move!" urged Talannah "Let's make as much headway as we can before that blood congeals!" But Harrigan pushed them back. "Me first" he stated firmly "I'm more heavily armoured than all of you put together. Just think of me as your friendly neighbourhood mobile riot shield". He took the sting out of his orders with a swift grin, then charged out of the door, gun up and ready.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The others followed their new friend and comrade out through the door closely. Crichton and Chiana initially felt a little uneasy about hiding behind, but after he took enough rifle fire to kill them all twice over in the space of four microts when rounding the first corner, they soon lost their reluctance to using their friend for cover. "FRELL THAT HURTS!!" hissed Harrigan painfully "I'm really not happy about that at all, no way. I'm just glad it'll regenerate in a few arns. Which way next?" he finished, as they reached the third corridor. "That way" insisted Crichton, pointing left "That was the way we came in, I'm sure". Aeryn shook her head, countering with "But if we go right, we'll reach the main elevators in less than five momens. Then we can go all the way up to the roof, or down a floor to the vehicle maintenance bay".

The arrival of a fresh squad of Charrid troops decided the matter for them. Bolting to the right, they flew down the corridor at top speed for the elevators. Harrigan had to forcibly slow down to avoid outdistancing his friends, but still reached their target first. He thumped the maintenance floor level button slightly too hard, smashing in the lower half of the panel and causing a brief shower of sparks. "Faster!" prodded Chiana, firing back down the corridor. She dropped three Charrids, but more filled the spaces occupied by their deceased comrades and the attacks continued. Talannah reached under Harrigan's left arm and gently pressed the button for the roof.. "You truly are my matchless one" Harrigan said softly, again using the Scarran word "Instantly moving to cover my mistakes like that just shows we're made for each other". She placed her finger over his mouth to silence him, saying "You are mine also, my love. But here's hoping this lift will take your weight without the cable snapping or the motors burning out".

The lift mechanisms did indeed make some very distressing noises as the cable stretched almost to breaking point, and a smell very familiar to Harrigan wafted up through the floor. "Damn!" he growled, wrinkling his sensitive nose at the stench of burnt insulation "The lift motors are burning out. They can't handle the load!" Fortunately, the lift chose that moment to stop at their target floor. As soon as the doors opened, the whole group, urged on by Talannah, rushed out of the elevator onto the rough-finish floor of the roof entrance hut. Harrigan heard a very unnerving creak and leapt full-length out of the elevator, smashing the door across the hut to kindling in the process. Not more than two microts later, three swift snapping noises notified the group that the elevator lift cables had finally let go. A rising metallic screech followed as the runaway lift fell at ever-increasing speed for the bottom of the shaft, where it hit with a BOOM! five microts later.

Talannah led the rest of their of the impromptu squad out onto the roof as Harrigan picked himself off the floor. The early morning sunlight flooded the sky, causing them all to look down. "Oooh..." he groaned, rubbing his chest carapace "That leap just aggravated those pulse fire injuries". "Come on, H man!" urged Crichton "This bit depends on you. Some idiot Charrid declined to leave us a ladder". When Harrigan walked over to see what Crichton was going on about, he saw the buggies they'd used to get here three floors down, at ground level. "OK, here we go. Geronimo!!" he yelled, and jumped off the edge. About half way down, he pulled a tight somersault, and just managed to turn upright again before landing. He flexed his legs on hitting the ground to absorb the shock, but didn't need to roll; then he stood up and spread his arms wide, urging "COME ON!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Crichton kept teasing Aeryn until she decided to jump first. Harrigan caught her smartly, tipping her to one side as she recovered enough to stand up. Crichton came next, then Chiana. She seemed to like the feel of Harrigan catching her a little too much, as when she landed she wriggle delightfully, pressing into Harrigan's grasp slightly. "Naughty girl, Chi!" admonished Harrigan, delivering a tiny microjolt of electricity through the seat of her pants as he helped her upright. "Ooooh!" Chiana exclaimed happily as the jolt hit her "Can you do that for me again sometime?" Harrigan rolled his eyes in exasperation, then held his arms ready for Talannah.

When Talannah landed, she didn't want to get out of Harrigan's arms either – but this time Harrigan felt more than agreeable in indulging her. As he looked down at her, seeing the soft and inviting smile on her face, he could almost feel the lust pouring off her. "What was that you did to Chiana?" she asked softly. "She was getting a bit too interested" explained Harrigan "So I gave her a tiny blast of power from my left arm. Unfortunately she seemd to like it, but she's not stupid enough to try anything. She knows I'm yours". Talannah reached up slowly and pulled her head up to Harrigan's, where she gave him a long, slow, passionate kiss. When she slipped her tongue past his lips, Harrigan reflexively squeezed her as tight as he could in the strength of his need. When she pulled away, she asked slyly "I want what she's had", pointing to Chiana. Harrigan smiled back and gave her a light jolt though her uniform pants. "Nice...very nice" she purred lustfully, as the electricity arced through her body. "More...pleeease, John...more!!" she squealed, squirming slowly. Harrigan gave her one more jolt, stroking the curve of her hip, then put her gently on the ground.

"Just a little taster, hon" Harrigan encouraged Talannah, sensing her disappointment "The rest will have to wait until AFTER we're married". When Harrigan saw she was about to throw her arms round his neck out of sheer excitement, he stepped in again. "We'll talk about it later" Harrigan decided "Because if we hang around here any longer, either a) the Charrids will kill us, or b) We'll be buried under the rubble of the exploding war room in there. How much time left, Crichton?" Harrigan asked. Crichton scratched his head, trying to remember. Then he looked at Harrigan with a look that had "Ooops!" written all over it, and ran for his buggy. Harrigan scooped up Talannah under one arm and ran for his own buggy, overtaking Crichton easily. He'd installed a slightly ruffled Talannah in her gunnery chair, dumped their comatose prisoner in the passenger seat, and started up his buggy before Crichton had reached his. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Harrigan urged frantically "We've got less than twenty microts!".

This proved to be just the thing to galvanise the rest of them into action. Aeryn swung herself up into the gunnery chair in a fast somersault while grippng the roll cage, while Chiana pushed her luck a little more by diving over Crichton's lap and righting herself in her own seat. "Buckle up!" Harrigan howled, and slammed the throttle to the floor.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Crichton's buggy followed shortly afterward, hot on his heels. Barely three microts later, the earsplitting BOOM! of a massive explosion rent the air as the tarvek charges in the CIC all let go at once. The shockwave reached them a microt or two later, rumbling up through the tyres and chassis of their buggies and causing a long, thin crack in the ground. Fortunately, the CIC was far enough underground so that they weren't showered with flying bits of rock – though a large dust cloud was hanging over the remains of the base.

They relaxed slightly once they reached the base of the hill with no signs of pursuit. Bad move – fifty microts later, Chiana heard a suspiciously familiar noise and alerted Aeryn in the turret of their buggy. Aeryn upped the magnification on her oculars, and instantly identified two attack buggies in hot pursuit, coming from the opposite side of the hill. "Two buggies on an intercept course!" she yelled towards Harrigan, in the other buggy "Both with full crews, and coming at maximum speed. They'll be on us in about twenty momens or so". Talannah looked down at Harrigan a split- microt later. "Confirmed" she reported "Buggies are carrying tak-7 anti- armour heatseeking torpedo packs on their pintle mounts, and semi-portable pulse cannon like ours for the front passenger".

Frell! snarled Harrigan. It'll take us at least ten momens just to get to the nearest village! Oh well, that's war for you, he went on. You just have to make the best of things as they are. "Hang on!" Harrigan cautioned the others "I'm hitting the nitrous. You too, Crichton! Wheeee!". Harrigan smashed his hand down on the big red button. Harrigan's buggy leapt forwards over the heavily rutted terrain at a highly unsafe rate of knots, with only his amazing reflexes keeping it upright. Crichton picked his way a bit more carefully through the ruts. This slowed him down a little, but didn't tax his abilities so much, and was much safer as well. Once Crichton was clear of the ruts, he hit the nitro to catch up.

At least we seem to have gained some time, Harrigan sighed. Then he spotted a cluster of houses just behind a low wall and watchtower. The watchtower flew a flag with a very familiar coat of arms on it. "It's an Ithlin-ruled village!" Chiana yelled happily "We're getting close!" The watchtower gunner put a couple of bursts a little too close to their buggies for comfort until Harrigan yelled at them that they served Ithlin's king. The gates were lifted to allow them through, but Harrigan's buggy ripped the end off the gate pole doing so. Harrigan pulled up in a cloud of dust in the village square. When Crichton came up alongside, Harrigan waved him off. "I'll have to warn the villagers what's coming. You head straight back to Ithlin, and wait outside the palace gates for me. There's two more villages on this side of the city. We'll make a comm call to the ones on the other side once we reach the palace. Go!" Crichton wanted to protest, but Aeryn tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards Ithlin's gates, which shut him up. After a quick wave, he sped off back to the city.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Why are we stopping here?" asked Talannah, surprised. "We have to at least warn these people what's coming" explained Harrigan "If they go now, they'll reach the city in time. If they wait for a call from the palace, they'll burn with their village when the Charrids and Rathlaas' forces come".

A woman, slightly more richly dressed than the other people, came up to Harrigan's buggy. "What business have you here?" she asked. "We return from a vital military mission for the king" Harrigan replied, pointing towards Ithlin "War is coming. Rathlaas and its allies attack soon". The mayor looked surprised. "War?" she asked, unpleasantly surprised "Are you sure? We've had raids from there before, some lootings and burnings – but they've always left soon afterwards. But full war? I'll contact the palace..." Harrigan growled at her inability to understand the approaching threat. He let off a loud SKREEEEE! which stopped the mayor and her squire in their tracks.

"RIGHT! THAT"S IT!" Harrigan boomed "In the name of King Torthil IV of Ithlin, I'm ordering a complete evacuation of this village!" The mayor turned around, ready to dispute his authority, but one look at his seven- and-a-half foot, half-ton body, standing next to his buggy yelling at everyone soon changed her mind. "That means everyone! Only take clothes, food, and essentials! No luxuries! If you move fast, you'll reach Ithlin's city gates in time! Move it! You've got ten momens or less to get out. A scout party's just behind us, but the main forces will be along shortly. Go!" The mayor's chief squire stationed several men-at-arms in the watchtowers to man the guns; but everyone else quickly grabbed a change of clothes and some food and scrambled on board the some official cargo trucks and the vehicles of a merchant trade convoy in town to pick up cargo. Once these vehicles had moved out of the village, Harrigan got back into his buggy and heade off to the next village.

At this one, the mayor caught on a lot quicker. As soon as Harrigan said "War...", he started barking out orders to his squire and men-at-arms. They quickly rushed off down the streets of the village, ordering the residents to gather food and clothes and flee to Ithlin if they wanted to live. "You would have had considerable trouble over there convincing my nearest neighbour, I think" the mayor said gruffly "I heard the edge of that screech over here. I doubt that they've ever moved so quickly their entire lives. Well" he finished "Best be off. I'll warn the next village myself. You head straight for the palace and warn the king".

Back in an unremarkable house in Ithlin's slum district, a number of well- disguised figures got into the loadbed of a grocery truck. The leader flicked through a number of hand signals, giving orders for their upcoming endeavour. The others nodded, then leaned back with their weapons across their knees, grabbing a momen or two of rest while they could. They knew that the had better be fresh when the time came to move, as they would have to move surely and fast to meet their objectives. The truck moved off slowly, heading for the city wall.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The village mayor reached his fellow in the next village four momens later. After quickly apprising him of the current threat, the pair of them immdiately started a complete evacuation here as well. This mayor didn't quite believe in the idea of war – but didn't want to bet his people's lives on it if he was wrong. Eight momens later, these villagers were moving out for Ithlin as well with their mayor.

At this time Talannah had just spotted the buggy patrol gaining on them. Evacuating these villagers had given the Charrids time to catch up. There was only one buggy now – the other had strayed too close to a village watchtower and had been blasted to pieces. The remaining buggy loosed two rockets into each of the remaining watchtowers, blowing them to smithereens, before resuming the pursuit of Harrigan's buggy. The Charrid gunner activated his thermal-imaging sight and attempted to lock on to Harrigan's buggy.

"Incoming!" yelled Talannah. Harrigan wasted no time in twisting the wheel sharply right and heading behind a large rock before straightening up. Two torpedoes flew past and impacted a few metras down the road, leaving small craters. "Damn!" growled Harrigan "Those buggies caught up fast! We've got about four more kilometras before we reach the city walls and safety". The Charrid buggy continued to close the gap, slowly but surely.

Three momens later they saw the walls. A familiar voice came in over the comm. "Harrigan!" came Aeryn's slightly scratchy-sounding voice "Glad to have you back! The king knows you're coming in, and the wall guns in this sector are ready to cover you". Then came the edge of Aeryn's voice yelling "Stand by to fire!" at the wall gun crews nearby her. "Gotta go. Lunch will be ready when you get here" she finished "Aeryn out!"

Talannah grinned down at her lover in the driver's seat below. Harrigan couldn't help but grin back. From their speeding buggy, they saw the city gates slowly opening to let them in. Harrigan shot through with barely a henta to spare either side and pulled up alongside Aeryn and Crichton's buggy, parked in the village square. The pair of them immediately jumped out of the buggy and rushed up to Crichton and Chiana, who were waiting for Aeryn at the base of the wall. The gate guards then shut the gates as soon as the buggy was safely inside.

Up on top, the buggy was just coming within range of the wall-mounted ram launchers. Aeryn's left arm swept down. Two gunners immediately pressed the firing studs on their guns, sending large explosive shells screaming towards the buggy. The Charrid driver amazingly managed to dodge three shells, but veered straight into the path of the fourth, which vapourised his buggy and crew.

Chiana threw her arms around Harrigan as soon as she reached him. Harrigan lifted her up, then threw her high into the air. She sailed up perhaps eight metras before coming back down into Harrigan's arms, where she kissed him soundly. Harrigan kissed back before Talannah could notice. When Chiana tried to hold the kiss, Harrigan waved his finger from side to side under her nose. "Don't push you luck..." he warned gently. Chiana smiled back a little sadly, but disengaged herself from his grasp and backed away. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Aeryn!" Harrigan yelled "Get down here! We're off to the palace!" Aeryn promptly reappeared, running down the steps towards Crichton and their buggy. Once all were ready, the buggies spun round almost simultaneously, and headed off to the palace.

Most of the military recognised Harrigan by now. Word of his mission had percolated down to the lower ranks, who parted the traffic to let him through. Speeding through town, there were occasional cheers from the soldiers and a few from the officers as well directed to Harrigan. He waved back, grinning widely, as he and Crichton burned rubber through the city streets. When they arrived at the palace, the king and chief of staff were waiting for them with half a dozen troops. "Congratulations, Lieutenant!" proclaimed the king "You have succeeded where many have failed!" He waved a hand at one of his squires, who brought forth a large box. "As agreed, the balance of your fee. I take it that this is the base commander of whom you spoke?", he finished, noting the bundle over Harrigan's shoulder.

Harrigan passed his bundle over to the troops, who took it back to an interrogation cell in the palace basement. "Yes, Your Majesty" Harrigan explained "I hope he's more forthcoming for you than he was for me". The chief of staff stepped in next. "The balance of your fee, including bonuses" he revealed "comes to 17,500 krepna. Since we've never been able to find out what's been going on there before now, I'd have to say it's been worth every last one of them". Harrigan passed the box over to Crichton, who looked very surprised. "Get that stashed on Moya" Harrigan told him, anxious to get it out of the way. Crichton got on his comm, telling Dargo to send Jool down in a transport pod for a pick up. He made sure she knew to put the box in Aeryn's room, as that was one place Rygel didn't dare snoop in. A quarter-arn later, they met Jool at the spaceport alongside the pod. "What have you got?" she asked. "The rest of your money" said Harrigan "It ought to keep you supplied for a while. Make sure Rygel doesn't find out, though. It's not to be used for his gambling debts".

"How much?" Jool asked, eyeing the box. That's not a small amount, she thought, measuring up how much it could be from the size of the box. Nor was she wrong, as Harrigan proved when he revealed how much they had earned over the last few days. "Including the advance portion, there is now 17,500 krepna to be used for Moya's provisioning" Harrigan stated "I've already laid down the law about Rygel's gambling, now it's you girls' turn. ESSENTIALS ONLY! No luxurious fripperies. I'm giving you this money for necessary supplies only. Clothes, yes. But no formal ballgowns or top of the line fabrics or similar dren". When Jool spoke up, Harrigan waved his hand at her, shutting her down. "I know it's mostly Chiana who goes off like that" he explaned a little more softly "but it does apply to you and Sikozu as well. Make it last". She stashed the box securely in the pod, and took off back to Moya.

The chief of staff had left for his regular troop inspection, but the king was still there. "Perhaps you would care to accompany me back to the palace to view this Charrid's interrogation" King Torthil asked. "Absolutely, Your Majesty" Harrigan replied. "Should prove very interesting" added Talannah.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "If you and the female Scarran would join me in my car, your colleagues can ride in the motorcade with my advisors" the king offered. "Thank you, Your Majesty" replied Talannah, stunned. "We are honoured by your offer. Of course, we accept". The royal limo's hover-lifters whined alarmingly as they fought to keep the car off the ground when Harrigan's extreme weight was added to the load. Talannah slid onto the seat next to Harrigan, and shut the door. The driver shot off at the best safe speed for the palace. He didn't like what his gauges were telling him – the extra weight of this unusual newcomer had pushed the passenger weight well over safe limits. Ten momens later, the motorcade returned to the palace.

"This way" the king prompted, gesturing to a narrow staircase just inside the door. The royal car was dragged over to the maintenance workshop, making all manner of distressing noises. Ten microts later, the overloaded lifters gave out altogether, causing the car to have to be lifted off the ground totally for the rest of the trip. When their little group reached the underground cell, the Charrid commander was stripped naked and strapped down to the interrogation table. "So.." came the voice of the interrogator "What exactly is going on out there at your base?". The Charrid defiantly spat in his face and laughed. "You obviously have no knowledge of a Charrid's exceptional pain tolerance" he spat. The interrogator beckoned to an assistant, who applied an air hypo to the Charrid's neck.

After a few microts, the drugs started to kick in. The Charrid's eyes dilated, and his head rolled from side to side, with a silly smile plastered over his face. Once the king was satisfied the drugs were working, he walked down to the Charrid with Harrigan. "You can trust us" the king soothed, then prompted "We're your friends. What is going on in you base out in the badlands?" The Charrid looked over at them, and then spoke up.

What he said chilled them to their bones. "Our puppet in Rathlaas will launch a full invasion of Ithlin. He will send 10,000 of his own militia, which will be bolstered by 10,000 Charrids imported from Scarran space. Once this city falls, the other will follow. Then the Scarran High Command's candidate will take control of this planet, bringiing it into the Imperium"

The king flicked a finger at the interrogator, who then injected a lethal dose of tranquiliser into the subject. The king turned, ashen-faced, to Harrigan and Talannah. "I never thought it would go this far. And with assistance from Scarran space too" he stated. Then he calmed himself, adding "Don't go anywhere, you lot. I may be needing your services again soon. I've ordered the evacutaion of the rest of our villages. My people should be coming back into the city as we speak"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The cloaked figures stepped out of cover behind the chief of staff, as he proceeded on his inspection. On a signal from their leader, four of them took out the bodyguards in a sequence of precisely aimed heavy pulse fire. Four more opened fire on the passing guard patrol, killing them all before they even noticed these interlopers. The chief of staff looked frantically, searching for the attackers. The leader of the group then stepped out of the shadows, and grabbed the Luxan in a steel grip. The chief of staff didn't go easily – he inflicted several nasty bruises and much pain on his attacker while he was subdued. Then the leader of the attackers twisted savagely, snapping the Luxan's neck like a matchstick, before slipping back into the alley. In all the chaos, the group melted into the local neighbourhood, driving their truck slowly back to their safe house.

A wild-eyed serf ran up to the king. "Your....Ma...Ma...sire..." he gasped. "Calm down. Catch your breath" Talannah told the badly frightened peasant. A few microts later, he started again. "Your Majesty, I'm sorry to report your chief of staff has been assasinated. All his bodyguards were slain as well, plus the nearby guard patrol. The scene has been cordoned off, and forensic specialists are on the way". The king waved over an orderly, saying "Get my loyal citizen some food and drink before he returns to his duties". He also pressed 50 krepna into his subject's hand. "Thank you, Your Majesty!" he replied thankfully, before the orderly led him off to the palace kitchens.

"If your majesty wishes it, I'll take you in my buggy" Harrigan asked "Your limo's out for the count and a crawler's too slow". The king nodded, saying "It shall be done". Talannah collared Aeryn and Crichton, whispering "Follow us in your buggy. We may need your help if the attackers haven't left". The king lowered himself into the front passenger seat of Harrigan's buggy, saying "I haven't been near a military vehicle since my own service in the army many cycles ago". Harrigan replied "Nothing to it, sire. Just buckle up and we'll be off. Talannah, love" he called back "Power up tha gun. Just in case". Crichton, Aeryn and Chiana were already to go; so the two buggies moved off slowly to the scene of death, in deference to the king's position of authority.

When they reached the crime scene, the road was blocked by frightened peasants and squires. The police didn't want to resort to riot gear, but it would be necessary if the king's movement was hindered any longer. The king was getting rather irate at this turn of events, and the police yelling "MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY FOR THE KING!!" were being ignored. "Not a problem, sire" Harrigan reassured the king, and drew a deep breath. Talannah knew what her lover had planned, as propmted thi king to plug his ears. When Harrigan let off a wild SKRRRREEEEEEEEEE!! the streets emptied so fast that within forty microts not a single regular citizen of the city could be seen anywhere.

After uncovering his ears, the king looked around, saying "Much better. Perhaps we can actually get to the incident now"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan and Crichton pulled up several metras short, and all of them followed the king over to where the forensic specialists were waiting for him. When the senior specialist went to lead the king to the body, he beckoned Harrigan and Talannah to accompany him. "Perhaps your new perspective may shed some light on this terrible incident" he replied when Harrigan asked why they were needed. He grabbed Crichton before they moved, giving him a few orders. "You, Aeryn, and Chiana scour the area" he hissed "Anything out of the ordinary, sing out. Watch out – we don't want to lose you if the attackers are still close by".

The king and his offworld entourage reached where they Luxan's bodyguards met their end. "Fast, and extremely accurate" mused Talannah, examining the bodies. "Notice how there's only a couple of pulse holes right next to each other directly over the heart? Whoever did this is very good indeed". Perhaps some of my old comrades? she thought. Unlikely, she decided. If a war was brewing, the Deadheads would have left long ago. Whoever it was though, we've got a big problem dealing with them...

The gory tableau was repeated where the guard patrol fell. "The same method as the bodyguards" revealed Harrigan "The same group killed both squads, that is now certain". When they reached the site of the Luxan's death , the king bowed his head at the sight of his dead comrade and friend. "This is not how he wished to leave this life" said the king sorrowfully "He would have wanted to die in battle". "Harrigan cut in with "He did die in battle, sire" Then he caught his breath, and continued with "His was the opening death in this war. There will be others, many others. Let's just make sure the sacrifice of your people is not in vain"

"How was my friend killed?" the king asked the forensic specialist. This individual pointed at the base of the corpse's skull. "Look there" she explained "Whoever did this grabeed hold and snapped his next swiftly and brutally. Not many could do that...". But before she could finish, Talannah looked up and said "Scarrans. Only a Scarran could snap a Luxan's neck all the way in one go like that. It wouldn't be a Deadhead though – the reason being, his head's still on. Probably an Army A-team. Well, at least we know why those Charrids backed away so quickly when I shouted at them"

The king looked over, saying "Explain". "On the way from the comm shack to the CIC" Talannah explained "I shouted at a Charrid patrol to get them to leave. I did so in Scarran. Since they retreated fast, I'd say that they would be well accustomed to working with Scarrans. Probably the same Scarrans responsible for this" she finished, waving her hand around at the carnage.

"So..." the king growled "The first shots in this war have been fired. Well those murdering scum in Rathlaas may have got the first blow in, but we will respond, and we will win"

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