Chapter 22

“Lock her up.”

“What?”

“Why is a yeoman interested in a classified flight schedule?”

Pandora realized she should have kicked herself. She let herself get “mushy” just because Alan was here. “You’re right. Damn it.” She pulled on her flight suit, and they left her suite. “Sergeant,” she said to her guard. “Have Corporal McDaniels detained for questioning, ASAP.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The marine guard muttered a few words into his collar radio as Alan and Pandora floated off to the bomb bay area with the guard following. “Ma’am, security has Corporal McDaniels in custody. She had just sent off an encrypted radio message.”

“I hate it when you’re right, Popeye.”

Just then, Eris approached. “You were going to leave me behind, weren’t you.”

“Yes,” sighed Alan. It wasn’t any sense lying to her. Her scrapper skills weren’t needed anymore. Now it was a game of watching Winston Scarver to see where he hid his treasures in the Asteroid Belt.

She put on her helmet. “Let’s finish this.”

With a kiss to Pandora and Alex, Alan and Eris drifted up to an F-733F that was brought there from the SS Garriott. The only reason they were on the Naha was to transfer the F-733H ships to the Garriott’s flight team. He didn’t want Winston Scarver to get his hands on the H models; they were just too potent.

Soon Alen and Eris were in their ship, Chris and Gene in theirs. The bomb bay doors opened, and they were catapulted straight down. A quick roll and they were rocketing back to the area of the Asteroid Belt now known as “Rocking Bird.”

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JSS Friedensbringer, August 20, 2161 Asteroid MC-1408Θ, Eagle Claw Mining

Winston Scarver was sure he had that bastard that stole his ships. His little spy on the Marine bomber let him know that the famous Captain Scarlett was the one on his tail and he planned to leave the bomber at oh eight hundred and attack him and he specifically said, ‘at Rocking Bird.’ At maximum burn, that would put him and his men back in the hunt at twenty-one hundred, nine pm. Scarver was aching to use the two new F-733H Predators that his supplier sent to replace the ones that Scarlett stole, but he had a buyer for them.

At seven PM he spread out all four whaleboats, with the Friedensbringer’s guns trained on the most likely path of approach, and waited. In two hours, he would have his prey. Nine PM came and went, with no sign of Captain Scarlett. They waited past midnight and gave up. Even search radar showed nothing moving between them and Mars. “Lets pack it in.” Winston turned to his first mate and said, “Let’s head back to Eagle Claw.”