Chapter 22

Why did Sean let himself get talked into these things.

The shuttle sat in the shadows of the small moon crater, its weapon pods fully stocked but as yet unpowered. Ger sat at the controls, reading a book, as Sean sat next to him in the cockpit. The older teen kept going over all the things that could go wrong, WOULD go wrong, in this mad scheme. Sean had long ago stopped trusting luck in any form.

"Would you relax," Ger said, leaning back in his chair. "If we die, we die."

"That is NOT the attitude I like in my pilots. Any chance of getting Craig over here to take your place?" Ger chuckled at that, cocking an eye at his companion.

"He's worse, one reason I get all the plum flying jobs." He leaned forward and checked a couple systems again. "No, don't worry. I'll get you to the ship and docked safely. It's once you get inside that you should worry about. Going in blind is never good."

Sean shook his head.

"Tell me about it..."

Lessa paced back and forth on the bridge. Every couple seconds she passed behind Kine in the command chair, and it was getting on his nerves. It was bad enough they would be risking ship and life in a foolhardy plan, but you NEVER wanted a nervous Lessa behind you. Always keep her where you can keep your eyes on her.

"Will you stop that," he sighed, not bothering to turn back towards her. "Find a chair and sit down, before your baby makes you topple over." He heard her stop, and a few moments later he felt a weight pushing on the back of his chair as she placed her hands on the top of the seat back, straddling his head. This was NOT an improvement.

"Anything yet?" Kine looked down at his sister's station, knowing the answer. They'd be shouting out at the first sign of the transport without being prompted. It's not like anyone was going to sit on the news, or look away from their screens and have to be reminded to pay attention. The look Amanda shot up at him said as much, so he just shrugged his shoulders at her and she went back to her job. He sighed again.

"Look, Lessa, I know you're nervous, we all are. Just have a seat and let us..."

"Got it!"

The call came from Nora, down in front of the Navigation Sphere. A split second later the holographic image that dominated the bridge showed the dot that had just come within range, and its projected course. Lessa let go of the chair, and stepped around to stand next to Kine.

"Get ready," she whispered...

Sean stood and floated through the door into the main shuttle compartment.

"Suit up!"

The eight teens quickly grabbed their helmets, fitting them in place and checking the seals. The space suits were a marvel, almost form fitting, clear helmets allowing enough room to turn your head and no more. Any larger and they became too big of a target. As it was, any shot that ruptured them was likely to have hit your head anyway. Sean sealed his own suit, and checked the radio.

"Wendi, you guys ready?" He saw her give an affirmative hand sign, and he returned it. The eleven year old was way too young for this, but ... well, who couldn't you say that about? He turned around and slid back next to Ger, also now suited up. "How long?"

He was answered a moment later by the sight of the Liberty firing. The ship had been moved so it lay at about a seventy degree angle pointing out of the crater, at the expected path of the cargo ship. It now let loose with four missiles, then two more similar bursts. At that exact same moment he saw the second shuttle lift off from the far side of the crater, and in his seat he felt the jolt as Ger turned on all systems and launched them on their way.

"Three volleys away! Shuttles taking off!" Amanda's hands flew over the keyboard, occasionally reaching up to move the displays around on her screens as what information was important changed. Three beeps alerted her to an update, and she relayed the information. "Missiles on course! Target hasn't reacted! Shuttles have also fired!" She bit her bottom lip. This had to be just right. Too heavy an attack, and there'd be nothing for them to capture from the ship. Too light, and their boarding crews would be wiped out. She was glad Kine wasn't with them this time, partly as she had long ago decided to be on the shuttle crew whenever he was in danger, but now Wendi was putting her life on the line. If anything happened to her...

It took ten seconds for the shuttles to get within visual range of the cargo ship. Ten seconds in which they had no idea how it was reacting. Ten agonizing seconds in which Sean could just see the missiles bouncing harmlessly off of the hull, and a dozen hidden turrets revealing themselves to take the incoming shuttles out. Information was life, and every moment without it let his imagination run wild.

He didn't used to be this bad.

Sean, at one time, was as calm, as cool and as collected as a warrior could be. He could roll with the punches, letting neither the unexpected keep him from completing the mission, nor causing him to freeze and not withdraw to fight another day. He had been one with the ways of war.

Not now.

Now ... he just wanted it to be over. He just wanted to get in, do it, and get out.

He wanted to live.

That, he knew, would be the death of him.

"All twelve have hit!" Amanda yelled, her voice full of glee at the hopefully good news. "Cargo ship has stopped all transmissions, and is still continuing at the same speed. Course has altered slightly, but not enough to have been a deliberate course correction. Shuttles are now approaching."

She looked back up at the Captain's chair. Kine was fastening his seatbelt, and Lessa finally was moving to a free chair. Amanda's brother looked down at her, his face serious but still with that slight smile in his eyes she loved so much.

"Lift off, and set course to follow."

Her hands were issuing the commands before she had even turned her head back to her controls.

Now it was up to Wendi.

Wendi was sweating.

She had never been in combat before. Not really. Oh, she had been shot at, and that ambush on the London probably counted, but never before had she gone of her own free will to kill people.

She honestly didn't know if she could do it.

Wendi knew Lessa had tried to get her ready. The older teen had described, in bloody, gruesome, detail, what war was like. Had shown her video of the dead, the dying, trying to get her used to the horrors of war so she wouldn't freeze. But ... even that great warrior had admitted nothing could be a substitute for first blood.

Let that blood not be hers.

She looked around the cabin. The other seven were experienced warriors, all veterans of not just earlier raids, but of the War itself. They had fought, killed, and survived. And here she was ... well, not their leader, thank the gods, that was Sean's job. She was Lessa's arm. She was doing that great woman's will.

And that, somehow, was even more frightening.

Sean, in his dark brown spacesuit, re-entered the cabin. Holding onto a strap attached to the ceiling, he looked around.

"We're moving in to dock at a port close to the bridge. The other team is going for the cargo bay. No life rafts have launched, so who knows what it's like inside. Fire at anything that moves, or looks like it might move. It's us or them." Wendi thought he looked a little disgusted as he said that, but maybe it was her imagination. He was a warrior, a member of the Guard! She gave her head a quick shake. It had just been her nerves projecting. That's it.

There was a loud clanging sound, the shuttle shuddering. Wendi could hear the sound of hydraulics, as well as a few other bangs. One of the boys, Harry, went to the shuttle door control panel. He turned to Sean.

"No gravity, atmospheric pressure low and dropping." Sean nodded.

"Good. Let's hope most of the crew is gone, or at least out of action." He drew his weapon, the others doing the same. Wendi looked at her handgun. All that practice...

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up. Sean was looking down at her with an understanding expression.

"Don't worry," he said, and squeezing, "just stay with me and do what I say with no questions or hesitation." She nodded. Not smiling, he returned the nod and went to float above the hatch. Raising a hand, he waited while two teens grabbed a limp space suited figure and positioned it right in front of the door. Everyone grabbed a hand hold.

He lowered his hand, and both hatches opened.

The limp dummy shot out into the cargo ship passageway, along with all the air in the shuttle. A moment later Sean hurled himself out hugging the ceiling facing the floor. He had just cleared the hatch when they heard the sound of gunfire, the dummy shuddering as it passed the first intersection. Sean took aim at the source of the shots, and as the two suited crew members came within view he fired down at their heads. Their helmets jerked back, and the two bodies began to drift aimlessly as blood started to leak from the helmets. Sean bent his knees, got his legs around facing the right way, then pushed himself off down the passage they had been protecting. Wendi and the others followed.