Chapter 1

March 9^th 3532

Lycos Main Asteroid Belt.

Federal Marshal Justin Blake sat in the chair of his Harley 25000 space cycle. The hoverbike was 'top of the line', with internal support systems, and an AI compatible to its rider. It had built in lasers and missile launchers for defense. The bike had the best available ECM, counter intelligence, police data links, and stealth technologies. It was also equipped with short-range hyperspace capacity as well as a force field, tractor beam and holo emitter for concealment.

Justin was sitting in one of the many asteroid fields scattered around the Lycos system. In the sheath on the front of the bike were his energy lance and his pulse rifle. Taking a sip of water from his internal supplies, he looked around, and then activated his image intensifier that was built into his helmet visor. He watched the illegal mining taking place on asteroid 363G6.

The bikes holo-emitter was making the bike look like a piece of the asteroid as it spun. The small tractor beam kept any of the space rocks from hitting him as he spied on the criminals he had been following for two months. Just thirty minutes before he had sent out the recall notice to the rest of the squad of marshals.

"Fucking metal thieves, they should be jettisoned from the nearest airlocks with out a trial," Justin said into his helmet.

"I agree, Marshal Blake they hurt everyone when they steal resources that the colonies need," the bikes AI replied.

Looking around he searched for the outer guards and did not see any. With a quick check on his suit resources, and saw he was at 93%. With one more look around, he checked his chronometer. He saw there was twenty minutes until the rest of the squad of the knights should arrive.

"Well as long as I don't get seen or the squad doesn't get seen as they are coming in, then this will be a good bust. We got them dead to rights, illegal mining of federal resources," Justin said as he popped his neck and then raised the spy scope again.

"Yes it will, Marshal Blake," replied the AI.

"What are they mining?"

"I am detecting stores in their cargo hold of Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Iridium, Ruthenium, Osmium, and Rhenium. All are ingredients in the making of the exploration cruiser hulls."

"What's the haul worth?"

"About forty million on the market, if you have a buyer," the AI replied.

"Cool that will be a ten million bounty when we bring them in."

"Yes, Sir, it will be a nice haul for all of you in the squad..."

"Speaking of the squad, see if you can get an update on them," Blake said as he activated the bikes cam system and started recording the illegal mining.

"Yes, Sir, I am contacting them now... " After a few seconds, with no answer, the AI said, "Sir, there is no response from them."

Justin's eyes flashed down in surprise at the AI computer, which was built in the center between the handlebars of the cycle, and he said, "What? There should be..."

Before he could continue, he was interrupted.

"Well ... well ... well. If it isn't another fucking knight," said a voice over Justin's com unit.

Justin looked around as he reached for his rifle and didn't see anyone. With a final look around, he said into his com unit, "Who are you? Where are you?"

"Right here, Marshal, and you're all alone. We already took care of your friends. It's just you, now," replied Derik Snow as he aimed his energy crossbow, and fired one round.

The bolt flew through space, around a spinning asteroid and slammed into the Marshal's back. The explosion hurtled the man off of his bike, and set him drifting in space.

Derik grinned, powered up his bike, and flew past the mangled wreckage towards the mining ship.

"All right you dogs," he said, "time to go."

Several hours later Justin groaned. He opened his eyes and saw the stars spinning around him. His back hurt, but the new armored suit had kept him alive. It had protected him from the blast and the impact on the asteroid where he now lay. Activating the HUD in his helmet, he did a system scan of the suit. He found half his electronics were out including his emergency beacon. Rolling over, he stood up. He looked around for his bike, and didn't see it. Lifting his left arm, he activated his locator, and saw that his bike was a few miles away.

"Shit! I hate EVA flight," Justin said as he started running along the asteroids surface, his armored boots slammed into the hard rock of the surface. Extending his arms outward, stabilizer panels slid out of the suit to form wings. While the wings were useless in space, in an atmosphere, they extended the range of the suit by twenty percent or more.

With a leap, he activated his jet boots and they propelled him across space like an old fashion jet aircraft. Flying towards his bike, he dodged the tumbling rocks and asteroids as he flew. Flying around the asteroid mine, he saw the pirates were gone and he grumbled at the lost bounty.

'Sixty feet until contact. Shutting down thrusters, ' suddenly flashed on the HUD as the damaged bike came into view, and he cursed aloud.

"Son of a Serrian snail's arm pit! I just got that bike. I am going to kill me some miners when I get my fucking hands around their necks."

As he started to float past the bike, he grabbed the remaining handlebar and pulled himself to a stop. Swinging into the chair, he brought the bikes systems online, and started getting a system download.

Popping open the emergency repair kit he pulled out the miniature replicator pad and then started pulling out the boards that were showing damage. As each board was pulled, he placed it on the pad. It vanished, to reappear twenty seconds later, as good as new.

Twenty minutes after finding the bike, he had it powered up. The damage was mostly repaired. Taking his knife, he thrust it in the empty socket for the left handlebar, and welded it there with his hand laser.

"AI, status report!" Justin said as he closed up the repair kit and put it back.

"Repairs are at seventy percent, major repairs cannot be finished at this time..."

Justin cut the AI off and snarled, "Just tell me we can hyper and that you can track those thieving murdering bastards."

"Hyper drive is online, and no I cannot track them. I have no idea where they went and you cut..."

"Shut up and get me a heading on the rest of the group," Justin snarled once more.

"Heading is that way, at ten miles," the AI said as it brought up a heading on the cracked nav screen.

"Fine, then lets go check on the rest of the squad," Justin said as he fired the engine.

The cycle started moving in the direction he wanted to go. Traveling through the asteroid belt, the bike kept jerking as it tried to rip the handle of the knife out of his armored fist. Passing through a small field of pebbles that bounced off his shield or sparkled as they were pulverized, he arrived at the battle scene and looked at the scattered debris of nine more marshals. Several of their bodies were ripped in two or more pieces and their bikes were shattered wreckage. Parking his bike he sat there for a second and his eyes narrowed as he saw his friends in his memories, and then saw how they looked now.

Tapping the throttle, he drifted over to the front end of another cycle. He grabbed it and removed the lance and the rifle. Turning the bike towards a large asteroid that was drifting nearby he set down and stood up. Walking with the plasma rifle, he started slicing chunks out of the surface until he had nine graves dug. When finished, the rifle was depleted. He then started the grisly task of gathering up his friends to bury them.

Walking along the graves, he looked down at the bodies and then started pushing the chunks of rocks into the holes. Three hours after he started, he had the last grave filled. He picked up the now recharged plasma rifle and fired a burst at each grave. As the graves cooled from the liquid plasma, he took three of the energy lances, he welded them together with two more as a cross beam and shoved it into the hole he had dug as a flagstaff. He then hung the Marshal's flags from it, showing everyone who was buried there.

"Goodbye, my friends, I ... I will avenge each and every one of you. Even if it takes my last breath of air to do so. I will avenge you all. You shall not be forgotten," Justin said as he activated the 'Beacon for the Dead'.

He walked to his bike, with it's newly installed (salvaged) handlebar. He had pulled the remaining wreckage of the bikes to the surface, and had then activated their tractor beams to keep the area protected as a memorial to his friends.

Sitting astride his bike, he looked once more at the lonely graves and whispered, "Sleep well my brethren, and guide me to the destinations I need, to avenge you."

Reaching into his hip sleeve pocket, he pulled out a cigar and cut it in half. Sliding his hand up to his helmet, he placed it in the feeder tube and closed it. The cigar stub slid into his helmet and he grabbed it with his teeth and started chewing on it as he looked at the graves once more.

Then he fired the engine on the big Harley and lifted off. Turning for Lycos station at the edge of the system, he floored the engine for the ten-hour trip, as he spit into the tube he'd had custom installed in his helmet.

He needed a drink, a fight, a bath, and a fuck; and if he didn't get them soon, he was going to be royally pissed off.

Nine hours later, Justin watched as the station was getting closer on his screen. Several Federal mining ships were docked, along with a massive ore carrier that was getting ready to head out system. The ten-mile long space station, originally built as a defense station over a hundred years ago, had morphed into this bloated eyesore. The station had been added to, with every derelict the owners could get their hands on. There was even the stern section of a Korland dreadnaught welded to the hull. It added its firepower to the station, as well as giving it a means to move about the system.