They run, through the gates on the harbour. Lancelot still tried to make contact at Merlin. "Merlin! Do you hear me?"
"Lancelot?" Came quiet answer. They stopped.
"Where are you? Are you okay?" Gwaine snatched the communicator back from Lancelot. "Merlin?"
"Whe… you?" The connection broke.
"We are almost in Excalibur. Where the hell are you? You have to get out of here. Now!"
"Heading…. Do… Ten."
"The signal is weakening." Lancelot murmured.
"Did he say Dock Ten?" Gwen asked, her eyes widening.
"Are you insane?" Gwaine yelled back. "You haven't got that piece of shit on move over twelve years. It's suicide!"
Silence.
"Merlin? Please answer. Merlin!" Gwaine tried with growing desperation.
"Then wish me a good luck." Came calm answer and they lost the signal.
"We have to go now!" Arthur rushed them. "We can't help your friend if he's not here."
"He is heading to his own ship." Gwen shook her head when they started to run again. Tears flowed on her eyes. "He dies. That ship is broken. He never makes it."
Arthur watched her and helped her forward, through the airlocks. "Then we just wish luck like he said. I'm sorry."
Gwen smiled to him. Gwaine cursed. The doors behind them locked on by one separating them once and from all from the station.
Morgause wanted to blow up something. She had just got the news that the upcoming three ships were out of the hyperspace.
"Is everyone inside?" She yelled on his radio.
"Just got the last ones!" Came hurried answer.
"Then shut all the doors. Bridge! We are ready to leave!"
"Roger."
Morgause cursed loudly. "Medicine?"
"We are ready." Gaius' quiet all experienced voice answered, and Morgause grimaced.
"Hopefully your new student realized to come by. Though this might remain a short trip."
"You're underestimating the resilience of this ship."
"By hell this is a research ship, so we're going to run away the tail between our legs." Morgause snapped back and changed the frequency again. "Are the civilians secured?"
"Yes."
"Close the laboratories." Morgause commanded. "All of you men, be ready, I'm on the bridge."
Then she shut the radio, stopped and leaned his back on the cold metal wall. The hallway where she was was a quiet, she couldn't hear anything or anyone. She breathed in and out until she was calm again. Then she felt the light tremor going through the ship. They were on the move.
"Are we sending any messages to them?"
"Do you think they listen anything what we want to say?" Uther asked and the young communications officer shook his head. "Then stop asking stupid questions."
He grimaced when he heard a clear creak when the ship's bulkhead hit something.
"Sorry." There was a timid voice when Uther turned to look the pilot who was floating middle of the control shaft. This was still too inexperienced to guide the Excalibur off the dock, but Arthur and Leon, both, were gone. If they survive, he would give them something to think about for years to come.
"Message coming!" officer yelled same time when Morgause stepped on the bridge. "Audio only."
"To speakers." Uther commanded. Morgause rushed up to him and bent down to examine the flooded information.
"This is Republic star ship Saxon. Surrender or we shoot." Calm voice with metallic sound greeted them.
"They want this ship." Morgause muttered and Uther nodded. "Are we carrying something important or do they just want the ship?"
"We are not taking any hostages if you surrender." The voice added.
"Fishy. They always execute all they can get. They hate us." Morgana said.
"Five minutes." The pilot announced.
"We leave. No answers to them. Karl, bow towards them. Pilot the jump over them. "Uther made his decision.
"They guess at once what you are going to. It's too risky." Agravaine pointed out.
"Exactly." Uther smiled. "Get ready to jump. This will be a bumpy ride. "
"Lasers! They are targeting us! "Morgana exclaimed.
"Sound the alarm! Shields?"
"We are still too close of station."
"If they shoot now they hit the station too."
"Plasma?"
"40%! We are not ready yet!"
"How's the evacuation?" Uther glanced Morgause.
"Almost ready." Morgause grinned her teeth.
"They shot the plasma!" Morgana yelled.
"Ready to impact!"
The impact get them fall and the whole ship trembled.
"We are too close of the station." Arthur muttered realizing what was happening. He stumbled over the controlpanel and placed his hand on it linking himself in Excalibur's neurolinksystem to see what was happening. He more like sensed it than saw, how the plasma surrounded the ship and part of its energy went over and continued the journey. "Too close." Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. Rest of the plasmaenergy hit the station and explosion's shock wave make them fall again. Everything went black.