Spartan's Quest - Chapter 24
Author owns no rights of any kind, and writes for his own amusement, and that of others.
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"Leaving atmo, Cap'n," Willie called. Mal headed for the bridge. When he got there he found Julio Givens sitting in the navigator's chair, which had now become the gunnery station as well. Mal took the intercom in hand.
"Attention. We're leaving atmo. If we're gonna see any action, this is as good a place as any. Everyone who ain't needed at a duty station get to the crash circle and strap in." He hung the mike back, and looked at Amanda.
"That means you, ni zi," he ordered. She smiled and nodded. Standing, she pecked him on the cheek, then ran for her seat. Mal watched her go for a few seconds, then rounded himself to look out of the view screen.
"All right, Willie," he nodded. "Let's see what we find."
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Wilson's other two ships were waiting in the black. Vin Teril, captain of the freighter MooseJaw, saw his sensor operator stiffen slightly.
"Sir," he called. "There's a Firefly leaving atmo. It's not squawking Reynolds' ID, but. . . ."
"But there aren't that many Firefly's out there," Teril nodded. He almost smirked. Wilson was chasing a ghost, and now Teril was gonna get the credit for ending Reynolds.
"Notify Beagle," he ordered. The other ship was separated from them slightly, so they could cover more area. "Tell them to head this way. Remember, our orders are to follow them away from this rock, then blast'em."
"Inform Lucky Seven as well, sir?" His comm officer asked. That was Wilson's ship. Teril nodded, after a moment's thought.
"Yeah, might's well," he chuckled. "Be over time he gets here though."
Teril sat back as the messages were sent. His pilot was already plotting a course that would let them follow Reynolds without concern. Once they were out of sight, then Reynolds' time was up.
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"Looks like they're following," Barstow murmured. Garrison Meadows, on the link with him from his own ship nodded, as did Hawkins, linked to them from on board Artemis.
"Looks as if. We'll fall into trail," Hawkins said. "We'd prefer to take them outside scanner range of the planet if possible. If they make their move before then, we'll just have to take our chances."
"Any word from Athena?" Jarrod asked.
"None, sir. We did inform him of the situation, of course, but our orders remain unchanged. In any case, Wilson's ship is headed away from Captain Reynolds'."
"We'll be right behind you," Meadows told Hawkins. "We'll not take part unless you need us."
"Very well," Hawkins nodded. "We're off, then."
The three ships all fell into trail, then, following the followers.
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"What?" Wilson started when he heard the message.
"Teril reports following a Firefly off Beaumonde, sir. It doesn't have Reynolds' ID, he says, but there aren't that many. . . ."
"Yeah, yeah," Wilson snarled. "Get us turned around. Now!"
Lucky Seven hadn't been built for speed, nor combat either, when it came to that. But she'd been around a while, and Wilson had made several improvements over the years. The ship came about nicely, and soon was making haste back toward Beaumonde.
Wilson sat in his chair, fuming.
Fooled me! He raged inwardly. I should have just stayed on station. That's what Brockman wanted me to do! Did he know about this? Or was this just luck? Damn it!
All he could do was sit and curse under his breath as his ship tried to make up the distance.
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"We definitely got company," Julio informed them. "Two ships falling into trail." He watched for a moment, frowning. Just as Mal was about to worry, Julio smiled.
"Artemis is behind them!" Julio told them all, clapping his hands and laughing. "They're about to get corn cobbed! Sorry, Willie," he added, grinning in embarrassment.
"Hell, don't be!" the little pilot informed him over her shoulder. "I hope they tear the huwn dahns a new one!" Everyone laughed a bit nervously at that.
"Should we unmask batteries, Mal?" Julio asked. Mal was almost sure that Julio's fangs were showing. Just a little.
"Not yet," Mal shook his head after a moment. "I'd soon they don't know we're armed, we can help it. If this don't work, they'll come lookin' again. Like to have a surprise for'em, happen they do."
"Good idea," Julio nodded. "Then we just sail on, and wait."
"Always waitin'," Mal nodded, his face pensive. He'd come to trust Jayne and the others a great deal in the last months. Now he was gambling everything on that trust. Something he hadn't been famous for even before things had gone to hell. Lately he wasn't known for it at all.
Would this work? And if it did, would they be free to go and do as they wanted, once it was over? There just wasn't any way to know that. Not yet.
"Always waitin'," he repeated, lower this time. Mostly to himself.
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"How soon until we're out of scanner range of the planet?" Teril asked.
"We're nearly there now, sir," came the reply. "Another three minutes, and we'll be beyond even long range scans."
"Three minutes then," Teril nodded. "Have Beagle get some height on us. Above and behind. We shouldn't need any assistance, but I don't want any surprises, either."
"Sir."
"Let's have the weapons spun up. I want to make quick work of this, and be gone. I don't like how exposed we are."
"On it now, sir," his exec nodded. That done, Teril settled in for the long three minutes.
"Just a little more, Reynolds," he mused quietly. "And then you're no longer a thorn in our side."
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"Sir, they're moving to firing positions," the sensor officer on Artemis reported. "And scans indicate that the lead ship is readying their weapons."
"Are we out of scanner range of the planet?" Hawkins asked.
"On the extreme edge, sir," came the reply.
"We'll have to risk it," Hawkins sighed. "Prepare to fire. Take the lead ship first." The weapons officer nodded, and began updating the targeting profile. He'd had a passive lock on both ships since they'd sailed. Now it was a simple job to update that, and prepare to fire.
"We're locked on, sir."
"Fire."
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"What the hell?"
"What?" Teril snapped, spinning to where the sensor officer was leaning over the scope.
"Someone just locked us up!" the man nearly shouted. "We're being targeted!"
"From where?" Teril demanded.
"Nowhere!" The man exclaimed. "There's nothing on the scopes anywhere except for Reynolds' ship. We don't have even a ghost!"
"Bring us about!" Teril ordered. "Inform Beagle! Maybe they can get a. . . ."
No one would ever know what Teril hoped for from the Beagle. A quartet of missiles slammed into the converted freighter, catching her in the engine area. In less than a second, the entire ship was engulfed in flame.
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"Target second ship!" Hawkins ordered, nodding grimly as the first combatant flamed out of existence.
"Already on the way, sir!" the weapons officer called. Sure enough, Hawkins could see the flame trail of another missile quad, streaking out toward the second target. He watched them all the way in.
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"Well, that was impressive," Jarrod said softly.
"I have got to get me one of those," Garrison Meadows said just as softly.
"Boys and their toys," Elizabeth snorted. Fell could be heard guffawing in laughter across the black at that. He stopped as Hawkins' face came on the screen.
"I'd be obliged if you'd help us make sure they're gone," he said calmly. "My orders were no survivors. I know that sounds harsh. . . ."
"No worries, Captain Hawkins," Winters smiled ferally. "We'd have done that anyway. We'll be glad to help."
"Very well."
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"Well." Mal watched as the others ships moved in to check the floating wrecks that moments before had been trying to kill him and his people.
"Totally cool," Julio grinned. The cortex began beeping, and Julio punched it up.
"Hello, Givens," Hawkins smiled.
"Hawkman, that was awesome," Julio enthused. "You guys are just the bomb!"
"Indeed," Hawkins smiled. "At any rate, please inform Captain Reynolds that you can proceed. Your back is clean."
"Thanks, Hawkins," Mal stepped into the view. "I appreciate it."
"Anytime, sir," Hawkins nodded. "We've a bit of cleanup here, and then it's possible we can get back in time to get the last ship. Godspeed." The screen went blank, and there it was.
"Okay, folks, we're clean," Mal announced over the ship wide. "Everyone can move about as they please." He replaced the mike. "Willie, get us on our way."
"You bet, Captain!"
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Athena was just coming into Beaumonde's orbit.
"No sign of the others," River said. Jayne nodded.
"We're too late," he sighed. "Raise Hawkins, Harry, and let's find out. . . ."
"Wilson's ship!" River said suddenly. He indicated a light on the scope.
"Get after him Harry!"
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"Both of them?" Wilson asked quietly, stunned.
"I'm afraid so, sir," his second nodded. "We saw it on the long range scans as we approached the planet. Both destroyed in less than a minute, and still no sign of Reynolds."
"Any sign of the one who did it?" Wilson's voice was vibrant with anger.
"None," the second replied. "And, sir? If I may? Do we really want to risk tangling with whoever could take out both of the other ships, alone?" Wilson looked at him, trembling in anger. But soon his calm began to take over.
"You're right," he nodded. "We're sitting ducks. Let's get out of here. Best speed, away from the others. We'll have. . .I don't know what we'll have to do. But we can't stay here. Let's move." The second nodded, and in less than a minute Lucky Seven was burning space for all she was worth. Away from the place where her sisters had just perished.
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"What are you waiting for?" Jayne demanded, as Harry pulled up. She looked up at him, apologetic.
"Milord, I'm sorry, but we don't have the fuel to catch them at this speed. Remember, I told you that if we. . . ."
"I remember," Jayne sighed in defeat, slumping into his chair. "We need fuel."
"I'm sorry, Milord," Harry said quietly. "I tried to manage the fuel as best I could, but the burn. . ." she stopped as Jayne held up a hand.
"Not your fault, Harry," he told her softly. "Mine. This is my fault. All of it. Set us down, and let's get refueled."
"Yes, Milord."
Jayne stalked off the bridge, anger boiling. River watched him go, then turned to the cortex. She needed to make sure the others were safe, and that Wilson's other two ships were gone.
The taste of defeat was still bitter, however.
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"Should we have done otherwise, Milady?" Hawkins face was a mask of concern. He was certain he'd followed his orders correctly.
"No, you did exactly as needed, Captain," River assured him. "Things just didn't break our way on the other vessel. That sometimes happens. I take it the clean up is complete?"
"It is, Milady," Hawkins nodded. "There were no survivors. Both ships completely destroyed, and no one escaped."
"Very well. I have no further orders for you at this time. We'll likely have some shortly, so if you can stand by, or see to any refit and replenishing you have, we'll wave you in a bit."
"Of course, Milady." River killed the screen. Next she called Mal.
"Hello, 'Tross," Mal smiled at her. "Thanks for scratchin' our backs."
"Anytime, Captain Daddy," River smiled. "But Wilson got away, I regret to say," her smile left her. "He was apparently trying to backtrack you, and was too far away to be here. We were short of fuel when we arrived, so we couldn't give chase. He's gone, for now." Mal nodded.
"Well, once we've delivered this cargo, we'll slip about a bit, out on the edge and what not. I expect we can stay clear of him, need's be." River nodded.
"Not a bad idea. We'll try and re-acquire him, of course. The search is already on. But we don't know where he went, just a rough idea of his direction. We'll likely follow that, as soon as we're fueled."
"You be careful, River," Mal told her. "I mean, I know you're hard to kill, now days, but still. . . ."
"We'll be careful, Captain Daddy." River promised. "And when we know something, we'll call." After the call was over, River went to find Jayne. She was unsurprised when she found him in the small hold, beating a punching bag into ribbons.
"I think it's dead, now," she told him, amused despite the situation. He stopped at her voice.
"All of them in one place, easy to take out, and I can't even get that right!" he hit the bag again, this time with enough force that his hand when through cleanly, and out the other side. Sighing, River went to get a second bag from storage, and threw it to him. Jayne silently replaced the bag, and tossed the old one into the trash lock near the back of the bay. He sat down, dejectedly.
"We'll never be rid of them," he sighed. "This will go on, and on, and we'll never be able to finish them."
"We found them once, we'll find them again," River told him. "For now, we have decisions to make." Jayne looked up at her.
"Artemis is still in orbit, awaiting orders. Winters and Meadows are waiting as well. I think Winters wants to stop searching, but Meadows and Fell are ready to keep looking. I haven't talked to the others. Serenity is safely on her way, and no one following. And probably no one the wiser as to her destination. Captain Daddy says that once they make this run, they will skirt the rim for a while, doing odd jobs and staying low until things die down somewhat."
"And that won't happen until we end Brockman. And Wilson," Jayne pointed out. "At least Brockman. We have got to find him, and finish him."
"We still haven't talked to my mother," River pointed out. "She's a shrewd business woman, Jayne. Always has been. There's no way she sank money into a project and doesn't know as much as possible about it. She may well know where we can find him. And," she added. "There's always Ariel." Jayne nodded, looking at the far bulkhead.
"Fair enough," he stood. "Let's have Artemis follow Wilson's trail, at least for a while. Meadows and Fell can search where the wind takes them. They're good at that. Elizabeth probably does need to get back, and I know Jarrod does." He sighed again.
"And we'll head to Osiris. Time I met my future in-laws, I suppose."