Rogues Trilogy concluded 6/4

[SteveMill]

Final chapter pt 2 added below the ---------------------------------, the final part added below the *****************, on the same date.

That's it - after 5 years. Over. Can I just thank everyone that has encouraged me and stuck with this tale over the years? I hope it's all been worthwhile - it certainly has for me as its encoraged me to develop a talent I always hoped i had but had never had the nerve to exploit. And now i'm studying Creative writing at my university.

Thanks Moss, Faze, Kiwinz, Lord Sauron/Voldemort or whatever you are calling yourself today, Steel, Merc, Oldman, Avis, Commander Jameson (right on Commander!) and anyone else whose name I have forgotten (AI) to acknowledge. Let's also not forget the Ego dev team and the original author of all fiction X, Helge.

cheers

Steve

Chapter 28: The Threat

“How the **k can they run with these,” Max muttered, stopping just long enough to rip the prosthetics from his chest. “Argh – shit - or wax their legs!” Unencumbered now he lengthened his stride, slowing only when the echo of Law’s flight faded behind the heavy clank of a door just around a wide curve in the rock-walled corridor.

Max leapt headfirst and rolled around the bend, coming up to one knee, his blaster sweeping the corridor length. Just three doors in a dead end. Two hissed open with a touch; an automated control centre and a cramped, confined living space. Max swept them perfunctorily, knowing Law’s psychology well enough to guess he was behind the third, locked, metal slab. Xela would have finessed the lock codes in less time than it’d take her to snap out a smart-ass remark on her own superiority. Max disabled his blaster safeties, triggered a forced chamber overload and ducked back round the corridor to avoid the ear-popping explosion. He was through the empty, melted frame into a teleportation station while flensing shards of rock and metal still ricocheted like angry, whirring insects around his head.

The room was small and its L shape had shielded the teleport pad from the full force of the blast but a fragment of debris must have caught Law as he was still struggling to his feet, his forehead bleeding from a ragged gash. With an animal roar that carried all the fear, anguish and rage of everything that had happened since that chilled moment he heard his cousin had died, Max launched himself feet first. His boots smashed into his enemy’s face with a cathartic crunch of bone but Law was a big man and beneath the blood streaming from his sliced forehead, his eyes blazed hot with an insanity that inoculated him against pain.

“You! You!” he screamed, rising to meet Max’s second attack and like two wrestlers entering the last round of a bruising bout, their warrior rage the only thing keeping them going, they clashed head-on. He smashed his forehead into Law’s face, pulping his already bloody nose as his hands clutched at Max’s neck but it barely registered in his glittering eyes. With inhuman strength he pushed forward, forcing Max to give ground as he struggled to keep at bay the gauntlets choking down on his throat. It was the closeness then; the bloody mess of his leather scarred face, the raw taste of his breath, the bestiality in his eyes that ignited a blazing memory of incidents and faces and the red mist rose in Max’s eyes, firing his own body beyond its limits.

He smashed a foot into Law’s groin and shook himself free of his loosened grip. “Bastard!” He leapt forward with the image of Tyre in that cell and smashed a cheekbone with the heel of his hand. Law felt that, Max could see it register in his eyes as he followed through with a punch to the ribs Law absorbed on an arm as he shoved Max back off-balance. Like mercury rising through ink, calculation shone in the shock as the pain of Law’s injuries kicked in. Reflexively he caught Max’s left hook and wrestled him back with his superior weight. With boots clattering towards them in the corridor Law shoved Max to the floor and took three long strides to the teleport. As Jackson leapt through the shattered entrance and as Max lunged forward, his own eyes blazing, he faded from view.
.
“Great way to lose your head Max,” Jackson offered his hand and Max pulled himself up off the teleport pad, trembling slightly with shock at how close he’d come to falling through an active beam. “Dammit Jack, I was that close to nailing the bastard and he’s got away again. What do we have to do to kill him?”

“Now you know how he feels. The Star’s bugged out, you can thank Tyre and Kait for your ass, we should be able to fight our way to one of Law’s ships.”

Max checked the teleport controls and opened a communications channel.


“I told them they needed a backup,” Payter muttered. No communications and two Falcons launching from the asteroid had been clue enough. The Black Heart Pegasus speeding towards the station, the Raider’s own in close pursuit confirmed it. The Split cruiser sliding from the Menelaus Paradise gate was just overkill.

“Shields still at forty per cent.” The Sarge nodded acknowledgement, realising he did not know the name of the young woman sitting at Helm in Kerman’s seat. “It’s returning fire.”

“Get our picket fighters back to the station and form a tight CAP. Tell them to hold on!” He kept the swelling panic from his voice. He was a soldier, he wasn’t trained for this and he knew his limitations. They needed the Commander but he had a sinking feeling about that.

“Sarge, status?”

He almost sighed with relief when Max’s voice crackled over the comm.

“Destiny Star inbound, fighter escort deployed, Split cruiser in through the MP gate, static defences overcome, two Falcons launched from asteroid, Black Heart manoeuvring to retrieve, both sides Pegasus inbound, Enterprise recovering all fighters. Standing by for orders.”

Military concision.

Max and Jackson teleported aboard the Raiders Pegasus just as Law was teleporting from a Falcon to the Black Heart equivalent. Both docked at the same time and Payter ceded the command chair to Max with relief. Jackson beat him to the first officer’s. Kaitrin took her post, Kerman took helm and Tyre stood behind Max, her hand resting on his shoulder.

“Status,” Max snapped.

Payter began to answer but Kaitrin looked up from her board and cut in.

“All fighters docked Commander. The Black Heart is at 10 klicks and holding, all fighters recovered and the Split cruiser is inbound ETA fifty minutes.”

“Law’s going to wait us out and let the Split take care of us. Suggestions?”

“Take the fight to him,” Jackson said quickly. “Take him out before the big stick comes down.”

“And then?”

Jack shrugged.

“If we go for the Heart they’ll just jump to a gate. If we follow them the Split will jump all over us and then we’re finished.”

They couldn’t fight a fully equipped cruiser and everyone knew it.

“Maybe its time to cut our losses?”

“And run where?” Max demanded. “Whatever sector we jump into we’ll have to fight or surrender. I’m no-one’s blue eyed boy any more.”

“We’ve got a periodic satellite drop in the unclaimed sectors around Napileos Memorial. The next is due in fifteen minutes. I can keep it online,” Kaitrin said.

“We’ll be on the run and will never be able to get back here,” Max snapped, frustrated by the gnawing realisation that Jackson may be right. He was willing to fight to the last breath but other people’s lives, he squeezed her hand, Tyre’s life, was not his to throw away. Gnawing a knuckle with frustration he closed his eyes and tried to blank his mind and see some sort of pattern in the pieces that would show him another option.

“ETA on the Split?” he asked finally. “Forty seven minutes,” Kaitrin answered quickly. “Then you’ve got forty minutes to see what you can get out of that rock’s logs and systems. You know what we’re looking for. Massoor, take her station, Sarge teleport a team ahead and secure the control centre. Helm, put us into a four-klick orbit, keep us inside teleport range. Perhaps we can force Law’s hand.”


“It’s there,” Kaitrin reported, her voice fractured with stress. “But it’ll take hours to get at it, unless I get real lucky.” Max could hear in her voice what her assessment of those odds was. Jackson reached the same conclusion and leaned towards Max to whisper; “My offer’s still open. Throw in with the Confederation and I promise we’ll take the fight to Law.”

“When? In three months it could be too late, he’ll have struck the mother-lode.”

“Law isn’t biting Max, and in twenty minutes the Split are going to be stuffing Hornets down our throats.”

“You’re right,” Max conceded reluctantly and opened the ship-wide comms channel.

“This is Commander Force, you’ve all been following the situation and I’m not going to lie to you, this isn’t a fight we’re going to win, but I’ve come too far to back down now. A ride in the sub-space hold of a jump capable Mamba will be leaving within the next fifteen minutes for anyone who wants to pull back. It’s been an honour people, it really has.”

He cut the channel. No one on the bridge made any move to leave.

“Most of my people will be on it,” Jackson observed. “I’m sorry Max, there’s no profit in suicide.”

“No apologies Jack, I want you in the pilot seat and I want Tyre and Kaitrin in the cockpit even if you have to stun them. Is that clear Sarge?” Max added as Tyre opened her mouth to protest. “Not a word, Jack will drop a nav-sat and I’ll jump the Enterprise out, but only when I know there’s no hope.”

“No way Max,” Tyre yelled, “You’ve got no intent-uh.” She slumped to the floor.

“You said stun her if necessary,” Jack said, holstering his handgun. “I’m dropping that sat. Be on the other end okay?” He stuck out his hand and the two men briefly shook. Jack scooped Tyre’s body over his shoulder.

In five minutes the Mamba stood by, waiting for Kaitrin to be teleported straight into it. The cruiser had already slowed and launched a cloud of fighters.

“Recall the team,” Max ordered. A minute later Payter confirmed all were back on board. “Do we have any LT’s?”

“No Sir, but two were salvaged when our pickets withdrew. They’re aboard the station now.”

“Evacuate the station, we’ll swing by and pick them up. Standby Jack, when it gets too hot I’ll give the word,” Max signalled. “Helm, set course for the Heart and charge!”

The Enterprise swept over the slower ship, rippling the Black Heart shields with a barrage of dragonfly and silkworm missiles. Law acted as Max expected and the Black Heart made straight for the Split cruiser and its fighter escort despite the ten hornets scans registered in its tubes.

“Force a channel through to Law, target jump-drive – west gate, just like we said Kerman.”

As the computer counted down from ten, Law’s ruined face appeared onscreen, twisted to beyond grotesque with rage.

“You want to finish this thing then you’d better step up to the plate you sick sad loser, because whatever happens you know I’m going to be waiting for you. Engage jump-drive.”

“Insufficient energy cells for out of sector jump,” Kerman boomed. Max let a look of wild alarm cross his face. “Target Menelaus Paradise gate, immediate jump! Be seeing you Law, stay away from dark alleys.” He killed the channel and said, with slightly more confidence than he really felt, “He’ll bite.”

The Enterprise faded into hyperspace as the first Split fighters opened fire. “It’ll take the cruiser a couple of minutes to recover its ships,” Max said as the Enterprise emerged from the West gate. “Ahead 150, bring us around.” Kerman eased the Enterprise back towards the gate on a wide, turning arc. The Black Heart nosed from the electric swirl and blossomed missiles. “Engage jumpdrive,” Max ordered. “Keep your eyes on Law’s ship Massoor.” The Trade Master curtly acknowledged the order.

The Enterprise slipped from normal space as the first missiles rippled fire over its shields. Seconds later it re-emerged, on the tail of the Black Heart, firing missiles as it accelerated. “Station fighters launching,” Massoor reported. “Setting recovery vector,” Kerman said. As the Black Heart went evasive, accelerating and arcing away from the stalking missiles the Enterprise shot towards the ships evacuating from the captured clan station.

“Black Heart jumping,” Massoor reported, his voice dripping with contempt at the cowardly manoeuvre.

“Split jump-hole forming,” Payter warned. “Hurry up with those fighters,” Max muttered, his knuckles white on his chair arm, he was gambling on the one advantage the Orca had over the Split cruiser, its cavernous rear hanger bay which could dock a dozen ships at once. “Cruiser emerging and launching ships….all aboard, jumpdrive activating!” Massoor said; his voice stretched thin with tension. The Enterprise thundered down the hyperspace passage towards the northern jumpgate.

The Orca launched fighters the instant it emerged and accelerated in pursuit of the Black Heart. “Be advised,” Massoor warned, “The Split are deploying squash mines and fighters at the west gate, they’re boxing us in!”

“Don’t sweat it,” Max said. “They’re cornering Law too, he’s not the trusting type! Now let’s finish the bastard. Watch for hornets.”

“Missile defences primed and ready,” Payter said confidently.

The Black Heart began launching fighters as the Enterprise thundered towards it and as Law’s flagship turned head-on it launched steady volleys of missiles.

“Jack, it’s time to go. Say goodbye to Tyre for me.”

“When she wakes up,” Jackson’s voice crackled over the bridge. “Good luck Max.” There was a fatal note in his tone. “I’ll try and lure some heat away before I jump. Whatever happens, it’s been fun.”

“Hornets inbound, launching drones,” Payter cut in. “Mamba away.”

The Enterprise smashed through the oncoming missile storm behind a buzzing shield of combat drones and Bayamons, autopilot programmed for missile interdiction. They caught most of them but not enough, the Enterprise rocked like a rowboat in a typhoon as hornets, silkworms and wasps fireballed against the shields.

But it survived, with a bare ten percent of shield energy remaining and the Black Heart launched more fighters.

“Split activating drive,” Massoor said. “Launching the Eye, all fighters moving to engage.”

“LT’s stand by,” Max said as the Enterprise looped around towards Law’s ship. “Head to head Helm, wait for it, wait for it… Now!”

The last two Force Corporation laser towers tumbled from the Enterprise with the distance between the two ships was just 500 metres, nose to nose.

The two massive vessels screamed over each other, Raiders Mamba and Eel fighters hacking at the Black Heart shields while the Xela Combat AI controlled Bayamons harassed the Stoertebeker escorts.

Then the LT’s cut lethally in, slicing at the Black Heart’s shields like knives.

“Split cruiser at North Gate…. She’s not moving,” Payter said. “No honour among thieves, they’re waiting ‘til Law is really willing to pay.”

The Enterprise came round again, its shields still dangerously low. The Black Heart twisted and rolled under the combined fighter and LT assault, needing only a hornet barrage to smash its shields down.
Max had none but just for a minute it seemed that the combination of superior fighter power, multiplied by the command and control and defensive fire of the twin hulled All-Seeing Eye Lifter, might just do it. Then, just as Massoor reported the Split cruiser moving to intercept, first one then the other LT fell to suicide rams by Stoertebeker ships.

They were remote controlled and on such overlooked possibilities do battles hinge.

Max checked the sector scan. Jackson was at 10 klicks distance now, mixing it with a melange of Black Heart fighters while a massive fight raged around the Black Heart as the Raiders pressed their attacks home through a thinning swarm of Stoertebeker defenders. There could be only one outcome, but for the Split juggernaut roaring down on them like Death made manifest, and Max knew now he had gambled and lost. The Enterprise could jump to safety if it abandoned its fighters but that was simply not an option, to anyone remaining on board. They were Force’s Raiders, not some rag-tag bunch of mercenaries and they did not forsake their own.

Never.

Max looked around the bridge, his heart swelling with pride. Even though he was technically an impostor they were his people and he was their leader. They’d tried to do the impossible and failed, all that was left now was to stop Law acquiring the alien technology by any means and at any cost.

“Helm set an intercept course.” He did not need to specify a target; the crew were waiting for the order. He gave it.

“Helm, ramming speed!”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Only the swelling throb of the main drive could be heard in the silence of the bridge and as the huge metal slab of the Albatross hanger doors loomed Max close his eyes.

“Aborting..” Kerman growled. The rest of the Paranid’s words were lost in a cacophonous roar of alarms overlain by a howling feedback scream that seemed to come from the hull itself. The Enterprise shuddered and shook, like a wooden ship ripped to its guts by jagged tooth rock shoals, as it listed heavily to port, flinging Max against the seat restraint field with bruising force.

“What the..” Max screamed over the chaos roar as the Enterprise rolled violently back to starboard. The Paranid gripped the Helm station with just one bracing hand long enough to adjust the view-screen focus. “Northern Gate Commander,” Kerman shouted. Two blade-like Xenon capital ships hung poised against the energetic maw. A third spat from the wormhole as Max raced to catch up.

“Threat assessment!” he screamed. “Damage report, Enterprise and Black Heart, and kill those alarms!” Payter began calling systems damage into the sudden silence of the bridge.

“Shields ten per cent, hull integrity compromised on eight decks, starboard thrusters inoperative …. jumpdrive disabled..”

Max cut him off. “The Heart?”

“Worse Commander, I’m reading only one functional shield generator and multiple internal explosions. On-screen.”

The Stoertebeker Albatross wallowed heavily to port in a roll that seemed not to respond to the twinkling flash of stabiliser jets along its hull.

“All ships – attack and destroy, attack and destroy. Kerman..” He did not need to continue for the Helmsman had already pulled the Enterprise out of its roll and swung it on a long, high arc to starboard to bring the Enterprise up onto the rear of the Law’s flagship. Its main drive spluttered strobe-like in the black as the lumbering vessel tried to escape the stinging attack runs of the Raider Mambas that had broken through its tattered fighter defences.

“Give it everything we have, at my command.” His finger hung poised over his small command console and as the Enterprise leapt forward, roaring the length of the Albatross hull, it stabbed down. missiles streamed from launch tubes and plunged towards the Black Heart.

“Give my regards to The Reaper.”

The viewer stayed locked on the Black Heart, almost invisible beneath the rippling flare of explosions, as the Enterprise pulled another long starboard turn. For a second it looked like it had weathered the assault unscathed, then an explosion that the Combat Awareness picked up and translated into a low booming roar that swelled and merged into a chain of secondaries, shuddered its bulk.

“Clear the area,” Max whispered, enthralled by the death throes of the giant beast. With a rending shriek of metal that filled the bridge the upper hull of the Black Heart split, a jagged tear that began near the slab-like bow and spread towards the drive like tearing paper, spilling a crystal fog of frozen air in which tiny forms twitched. Then a series of explosions, that began aft and rippled forward, tore the ship apart like an angry, invisible giant. With a flash that left Max temporarily dazzled and deafened it exploded.

He would have liked some time then, some time to absorb the moment, to reflect on a victory of sorts, and its cost but already Payter and Kerman were both earnestly demanding his attention with warning cries.

“Regard – the Split!” the Paranid growled and nodded towards the view-screen.

“Are they insane?” Max asked no-one in particular. In all the excitement Max had forgotten about the Split cruiser. No-one answered as the big tri-hulled ship poured streams of plasma all over a Xenon destroyer it almost rammed as it over-shot.

“Tactical!”

He drank in the overlay in the lower right quadrant of the screen.

Njy was many things; a hero, an inspired political leader; a genocidal murderer, a war-monger, depending on your species and point of view; but there was one thing he was not, regardless of perspective. The Butcher was no coward and faced with two Xenon warships and another that seemed to be some kind of transporter like his race’s own Elephant, his first instinct was not to run.

It was brave, it was glorious but it was utterly futile.

“Remember the standing orders, don’t fire on the Xenon unless they engage first. Tell me when that fight is over.” Max ordered.

“Ships!”

Sarge?”

“Three ships Commander. Falcons that escaped before the Heart went down. Our fighters are engaging the surviving Black Heart ships moving to escort.”

“Law,” Max breathed. “I’m sick of trying to kill that guy. Recall all fighters once they’ve swept up and evac all our remaining people on board the station and the shipyard and rig the reactors, we’re not gifting the machine-heads anything. Leave the Falcons to me, you kept me a ship right?”

“Of course Commander,” Payter replied with a faintly insulted air that he signalled was an unexpected joke, with just a twitch of his lips. “There’s a fully equipped Mamba on the flight-deck.”

“Fully equipped?”

“Except for cargo bay life support, the only spare unit we have is attached to the Destiny Star.”

“Good enough. You’ve got your orders,” Max stood up. “Law will be aboard one of those ships and I’m taking the bastard down.”

“You should take wingmen,” the Sarge urged but Max could tell from his tone he’d already realised the futility of the suggestion.

“When the Xenon have finished chewing up the Split you’re going to need every fighter you can get if you can’t get the jumpdrive back online. Evacuate the stations and if you can’t jump then head for Menelaus Paradise.”

“And then Sir?”

“If I’m not here then you’re in command. If you can make it to the Confed Base.. Otherwise it’s up to you.”

Surrender. Max left the word hanging in the air as he ran for the teleport. A few seconds later he was in the cockpit of a Mamba. Disregarding all pre-flight checks he signalled launch readiness, gunned the thrusters and roared between the hanger doors as they split open. He quickly locked up the fleeing flight of Falcons and rolled to pursue as the Raiders chewed up the last of the Black Heart fighters.

The Falcon wasn’t built for speed, clocking out at less than half the velocity a fully configured Mamba could touch but it had the same fire-power and double the shielding. It was not a ship to be taken casually.

While Massoor kept up a running commentary on the Xenon-Split battle at the Northern jumpgate Max took the Mamba on an arc around the mess of scrapping Raider and Stoertebeker fighters. Law’s pilots fought a stubborn rear-guard but they were now out-classed and out-numbered. A Raiders Mamba detached itself from the melee as Max skirted the expanding combat sphere.

“Not thinking of keeping all that fun to yourself were you Max?”

“Jack!” Max snapped. “What the f**k are you doing here, I ordered you to get everyone to safety.”

“I don’t respond well to orders,” Jackson replied glibly, pulling up on Max’s port side. “Particularly when I’ve got a blaster pointed at me.” Max looked across. Tyre waved back. “You and I are going to have words later Max. Now shut up and let the man fly!” Max sighed deeply.

“I heard that, you are so going to catch it later,” she said. “Okay, okay,” Max conceded. “We’ll gut and feather these birds and then you’re bugging out, those Xenon are not here to be our friends. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Xenon Destroyer down,” Massoor interjected. “One, no - two more now in-sector.” He hesitated. “Commander, I think the Unknown is carrying a station deployment package!”

“I do believe I’m cursed,” Max muttered. “Why now, couldn’t they have waited a few days?”

“And did you notice both ships had shield damage when they gated in? How do you want to take this buddy?” Jackson interjected. Max checked the HUD, the trio of Falcons were under three klicks distant now and he extrapolated their course by eye.

“They’re not heading for a gate Jack,” Max said, surprised. “Looks to me like they’re heading for that other ‘roid.”

“That’s a long trip, let’s shorten it for them. Any odds you like Law is in the lead ship. Heads he’s mine. Call Max.”

“He’s mine,” Max said. “Designating port wingman Low-Life Two. Take it.”

At 1.5 klicks both the Falcon wingmen rolled a full 180 degrees and charged. The lead Falcon also turned but lingered behind its escorts, waiting to cosh any target-fixated attacker. The Mambas kept formation as the Falcons opened fire at extreme range, snap rolling to let the plasma streams fizz by their cockpits.

“Split shields at 50% and falling.” Massoor stated. “Four fighters down, twelve in sky.”

“Keep it up boys,” Max murmured. “Buy me some time.”

The two sets of fighters entered extreme weapons range.

“Exhilarating huh Max? Breaking high to attack, watch Low Life One.”

Jackson’s Mamba jerked up and out of Max’s sight, like it was on a stretched elastic tether. Max rolled inverted and manoeuvred towards the six of Low Life Three.

“Clever,” Max muttered as he decelerated to keep within the shorter turning circle of the slower Falcon, which banked into a hard left turn. It was the old bait and switch, pulling him across the path of Low Life One. From the corner of his eye he saw Jackson open fire on his target and as plasma fire raked around the cockpit Max slammed the afterburners, rolling as he accelerated to rake the shields of Jackson’s opponent in a slashing hit and run strike. As his eyes constantly danced over the sky and the HUD, building and rebuilding his combat awareness, another flash caught them, like the twinkling of a distant star on a cold, clear night.

Then another, and another.

“Jack,” Max signalled uncertainly as he rolled to strafe a Falcon falling onto Jackson’s six. Space seemed to blossom with exploding stars and suddenly the gravidar filled with neutral designated contacts.

“I see them, shit, break, break! Taking fire, taking fire!”

Max reacted by instinct, breaking hard right and low as a blinding beam sliced like a knife past the cockpit, catching the corona of his shield a glancing blow that sent the Mamba spinning violently out of control, alarm klaxons filling the cockpit.

The gravidar contacts transformed to hostile red as something flashed across the Mamba’s nose – a glimpse of purple and black.

“Unknown hostiles all over the sector,” Massoor shouted over the comm. “All fighters to CAP, I repeat, all fighters to CAP.”

A beam slashed by the jinking fighter and Max hit the strafe drive. The Mamba lurched left as another beam sliced past it and Max began the fight of his life.

*********************************************************



“Can you read a Gravidar?” Jackson yelled, slamming the stick hard left. “No! What’s going on?”

A small craft, seemingly composed entirely of triangular panels that shimmered with a purple that made him slightly queasy just to look at, exploded in his sights and the Mamba flashed through the wreckage.

“What’s a graveder?” Tyre yelled.

“Never mind, if you see something that looks like it could zap us, tell me to break towards it!”

Another beam sizzled past the cockpit.

Beam weapons, these bastards had beam weapons. Damn, he railed silently – we’ve only just figured out how to cram them into something as big as a laser tower.

“Who are these guys?” Jack muttered.

“Break ..er… left!”

The beam caught them a glancing blow but Jackson wrestled the ship back under his control in time to snapshot the attacker to vapour and then he fought on instinct, never flying straight, snap shooting targets of opportunity while Falcons jinked and rolled through criss-crossing beams. One exploded in cross-fire.

“Unknowns at both gates,” Massoor reported over the common combat link. “They’re jumping in independent of jump-gates, single clusters that break into groups. Watch out for the large contact – 75MW of shields and a beam that’s off the scale.”

Jackson caught a sustained flash from the corner of his eye and thunder rolled from the Combat Awareness System.

“Split gate picket squash mines blown!” Massoor yelled, excitement and fear completely overwhelming his normal cool tone. West gate clear, I repeat West Gate clear.”

“North Gate?” he heard Max ask.

“The father and mother of all battles,” Massoor answered. “Xenon versus Split versus Unknowns.”

Another explosion rumbled deep.

“Split cruiser dead.”

“Break right!”

Jackson broke high and right, killing another of the small ships as it shot across his nose, with a wasp missile.

“At least they die easily,” he murmured. “Max, wasps, one hit one kill!”

Jackson was a good pilot, almost as good as Max and almost as good as he thought himself and having got the measure of the threat he settled into a mantra-like routine. Jink, roll, dodge, fire. Repeat. He’d never used a strafe drive so much in his life but it was invaluable in throwing off the deadly aim of the beam weapons. The surviving Falcons and Mambas hacked and slashed through the buzzing swarm of attackers, slowly thinning them out with ripple fired missiles while staying well away from the biggest contact on the Gravidar.

“Break left and low – NOW!” Tyre screamed. Jack obeyed reflexively, scanning for threats. “There!” Tyre said, punching his arm hard. Jackson winced, slammed on the afterburners and ran plasma over the Falcon shields as it pulled up onto Max’s six. He dropped two silkworms as his ship screamed over the Stoertebeker fighter and pulled an inverse roll through a group of three small unknowns.

Low-Life Three died with a satisfying crump.


Ask any battle veteran pilot and they’ll tell you there’s no such thing as time in combat. It starts and it ends and in between it’s all instinct and reflex. If you had time you’d think but if you think you’re dead. Suddenly there were just three other ships in Max’s immediate sky; Jackson’s Mamba, one large pyramid-shaped Unknown and a Falcon bugging out as fast as its stubby wings could beat. He did not need to check the Gravidar to know it was Law, in Low-Life One.

“Bait and switch Max,” Jackson signalled. “And I’d love to be the bait but I’ve got your girl.” Max lined up the big Unknown and gunned the drive. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.” His Mamba shot towards the enemy, zig-zagging and pulling expansive barrel-rolls as the pyramid lashed out with the new beam weapon.

The coronal discharge was enough to fry the C.A.S with static but the Raiders fighter flashed past the Unknown, hitting the strafe drive as it over-flew. The pyramid pivoted to follow as Jackson swooped. At 800 metres he opened fire, pouring high energy plasma on the target until their energy banks coughed dry and, skimming its hull close enough to make Tyre involuntarily hide her eyes, he fired off every silkworm he had.

The Unknown exploded as he broke high for another pass.

“That’s a Yeee-hah there Max, now you go waste that murdering bastard!”

“And you get the hell out of here like you’re supposed to.”

Max checked the sector display. The unknown hostiles had been thinned out considerably since his last quick scan but dozens of the small craft flitted through a tangled mass of Xenon capital ships and fighters by the north gate and another large swarm whirred and snapped around the putative Xenon Transporter lumbering towards the centre of the sector. The Enterprise though, was in the clear although less than a dozen fighters flew CAP.

“Force to Enterprise; engage and destroy those ships attacking that lone Xenon while they’re still occupied. Jack, are you still here? How’s Tyre?”

“Poised and ready to run by the Menelaus gate Max, and your girl’s fine." Just sleeping again!”

“She'd better be, moving on Low Life One!”

While ten Raiders Mambas and Eels moved to intercept the Unknowns, Max locked up Law’s fleeing Falcon.

“Ready or not Law old buddy,” Max hit the afterburners and the Mamba leapt to full speed with a jolt he felt in his kidneys, “Here I bloody come!”

The lumbering Teladi fighter rolled to engage head to head as Max approached firing range, and raked his shields with surprisingly accurate long-range fire, forcing him to twist and roll through the plasma stream without answering. As he flashed over the Falcon he rolled inverted and craned his neck to snap a glance at the Falcon cockpit. Two crew – one the familiar bulk of his enemy, the other a damn good pilot.

Damn good – not great and once Max hit the brakes, snap-rolled and afterburned back onto his six the fight was all over.

Bar the taunting.

“That’s the best you’ve got Law,” as he rippled a huge chunk out of the Falcon shields.

“Come on Law, think you’re so hard?” Max rammed more plasma into the Falcon rear as he followed it though a high, rolling break.

“Think you can breath vacuum?” he mocked, trimming the fighter’s shields down to under 10 per cent.

“Come on, get your man to show me some of those funky Stoertebeker moves!”

Locked to the Teladi six like a tractor beam connected the two ships, Max sniped and taunted away.

“Wish you were here now Zee,” he murmured. “With that good capturing mojo.” He forced thoughts of his cousin, of Xela, from his mind and concentrated on keeping the shields low, hoping rather than expecting Law would lose his nerve and eject.

“Okay Law,” he said after a minute of carefully placed single shots. “Last chance before you suck the Big V, punch out now and I’ll deliver you alive to the appropriate authorities.” He gave the Falcon a double kick for emphasis. The only answer was dead static and Max triggered the burners again, breaking in a steep, off-set loop, rolling out at seven hundred metres to bring his ship hammering down on the Falcon from 11 O Clock High.

“Here it comes Law, can you see it, here it comes, here it comes!”

His thumb hovered over the control stick fire button as he centred Law in his sights.

“Here it comes!”

There was something in the way the Falcon suddenly lurched and rolled like a pay-day drunk that stayed him and as he pulled around for a head-on pass he quickly scoped it with the Zooms. Law stood over the pilot seat, pounding the occupant with his big leather clad fists, his mouth moving soundlessly.

Max snapped off a short burst that smashed into the Falcon nose on, almost obliterating the shields. He came around and scoped the cockpit again; it was filled with smoke.

“Zee – I mean ‘auto-pilot,’ hold station on the target rear, 200 metres.”

The Mamba pulled up on the Teladi fighter’s starboard rear quarter while Max adjusted the comms, pushing enough power through it to half fry the Falcon with feedback.

“No more messing Law. Computer, scan target, synchronise teleports and activate in ten seconds on my count. If you’ve got one, be on it because you’ll be in vacuum in fifteen. And that ain’t fun, I’m telling you. And bring that chip. Ten.”

He moved to the back of the cockpit to the small teleport pad as he counted and stood at the small operations panel.

On four the teleport signalled a link.

On three Law’s hulking bulk began to swirl into reality.

On two Max realised he’d used his blaster as an impromptu bomb.

On one Law, his face contorted with inhuman rage behind the clotted bloody mass of his smashed face, roared like an un-stunned Chelt at the slaughter and charged. Swept up by his mass and momentum they fell back into the more cramped confines of the flight deck, smashing against the tandem pilot seats. Law came out astride him and Max smashed his forehead straight up into the broken mess of his nose but the insanity raging in his eyes made him as immune to pain as he was to reason. Max’s vision began to fade as he fought for breath through Law’s choking grip.

“You want my life work do you Force?” Law raged, pulling back one gauntleted face and pounded it into Max’s face. “Then you can take it from my cold, dead hands!” Again and again the fist smashed down and Max tasted blood as he desperately tried to fend off the blows with one hand and loosen Law’s choking grip with the other, but he was too heavy, too strong.

He almost surrendered then, right at the last, let himself drift away to where there was no pain, just sleep but something inside him, that indomitable spark that marks a true warrior, that keeps him fighting while a single breath remained in his body, while his muscles could still bunch a fist, flared. As Law’s fists flew blood, Max reached desperately back, scrabbling under the co-pilot seat for some kind of weapon but all his fingers closed on was an emergency med kit. Max drove the alloy box into Law’s face with as much power as he could muster from the prone position. He barely felt the gash in his forehead, opened up again by the corner of the tin. With one sweep of his bloody fist he slammed the kit from Max’s grasp and it smashed open, scattering instruments, ampoules and sprays.

“And now, you die!” he giggled insanely. “Now you die!”

Impervious to Max’s frantically flailing fists he fastened both hands around his throat and slowly squeezed, cackling with maniacal glee. Barely able to see through swollen, bruised eyes, Max stretched his arm practically out of its socket until his fingers closed around something cylindrical from the kit. Blindly he stabbed it into Law’s side and pressed the trigger. Law froze and stiffened in shock above him, toppling back and off him as Max pushed with almost his last joule of strength.

Both men struggled to their feet like bare-knuckle fighters entering the thirtieth round and for a moment both stood hunched, taking deep rasping breaths, and looking at each other. Then Law straightened up and began to laugh, a deep booming laugh that filled the cockpit.

“What’s so funny?” Max gasped through swollen bloody lips.

“Look in your fist,” Law managed to reply between thunderous guffaws. Max opened his hand and stared blankly at the empty stim. “When I’ve finished with you I will find your woman.” It was the wrong thing to say. With a strength he’d have sworn his body did not have left in it Max leapt at Law, hitting him low, like a Blocker taking out a Running Back. Caught off balance Law staggered back and pivoting on one heel, Max round-house kicked him in the chest, sending his foe crashing back onto the teleport pad.

Grinning contemptuously Law rose to one knee.

“I was born with pain, Force, and you are too weak to..”

Max leapt for the teleport operations panel and blindly activated it and, as Law faded from view in mid lunge, Max redirected the beam. When Law’s body ceased convulsing and hung just beyond the cockpit like a limp, malevolent shadow against the stars, he reactivated the teleport and gingerly rifled the ruined corpse. He found what he was looking for concealed in its right gauntlet.

“You did say, and I quote, ‘from my cold dead hands’.”

Max teleported the corpse back out into space, took the controls and gunned the Mamba into a wide, arcing turn.

“From the stars we came, to the stars we shall return.”

He flicked the target-under-reticule switch and fired. The comm. system sang out a ragged cheer.

“Jack are you STILL here? Put Tyre on.”

“I would do Max, but she got a bit too insistent and I knew that was something you had to do yourself. You see, that’s the trouble with women, they just don’t have any sort of handle on the man thing, or a sense of fair play. Don’t worry she’ll wake up soon.”

“Without too many bruises I hope Jack. Enterprise, how’re we doing?”

“The sector is almost clear of Unknowns Commander, just a few holdouts around the north gate and the Xenon will take care of them.” the Sarge answered. “But we’ve lost six pilots and ten ships.” He paused before continuing. “We’ve contained the fires and the hull breaches but the interplanetary drive needs to recharge and the jump-drive is completely fried. The engineers say it could be weeks before they figure out how to get through the security lockouts let alone repair it.”

“How long for the IP Drive to re-power Sarge?”

“Four to five hours Sir, depending on how repairs go.”

There were, Max quickly realised only two options open. Either the Enterprise retreated through the gate back to Menelaus Paradise and almost certain arrest or destruction, or they headed out into deep space.

“Get as much distance as you can between the Enterprise and the Xenon,” Max ordered. “And then head for that communications asteroid, perhaps there’s something we can salvage. Then..”

“Heads up Max,” Jackson interjected, his voice tight with concern. “The Xenon.”

Max checked the sector display - the clutch of Xenon destroyers around the northern gate had finished with the last of the Unknowns. He scoped the gate at maximum magnification and as he focused, three of the huge machines slowly swung their bows purposefully around and lit space with their flaring drives.

“Two Xenon destroyers on an intercept course,” Payter announced as if he were doing no more than repeating a particularly dull rumour. “And one heading straight for me!” Jack added, much less sanguine. “Shit, those suckers are fast, I’m reading 600 mps plus! Time to bug out Max, they’re going to seal off the MP gate.”

Max looked at the sector display and made a decision. Feeling more at peace than he could remember since the Code Black sounded, way back in the day.

“No dice Jack, I’m not leaving my people. You get going.” He set course for the Enterprise and kicked up the power.

“I know you won’t,” Jack said quietly. “Activating jump-drive. Give ‘em hell Max.” And then his Mamba was gone, leaving just a single nav-sat spinning at the mouth of the Menelaus Paradise gate as the Enterprise launched its remaining fighters and hauled its battered hull round to face the enemy.

Max gathered up the handful of CAP fighters into one big delta wing formation and moved to engage one last time.


Epilogue

“And at the setting of the sun and the rising of the dawn shall we remember them.”

Brother Fenris closed the book, standing with his shaven head bowed and his angular features solemn with the weight of the ritual words and the finality of the occasion. A shadow on the watercolour rainbow smear of the nebula behind him, he turned and with the rest of those gathered in the Observation Gallery to watch wing followed by wing of Bayamon fighters slip by, each missing man slot marked with a name intoned.

“…. Makk, Raise, Xela ….” The list was so long, Anje Dalenari thought numbly as the fighter wings looped silently by. “Corrin…” A small dark haired woman choked a sob at that point. “Max Force.” Beside her his widow, a tall blonde, absolutely magnificent in a simple black dress stiffened, her face an impenetrable mask. Out beyond the perimeter marked out by the Confed Station Laser Towers, an Argon cruiser swam slowly into view, stately orbiting the Clan base at a discreet distance, as if infected with the solemn grandeur of the moment.

“Damn but I hate these things,” Jackson said, an unexpected presence at her elbow. Anje nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak. “Come on, I’ve got what you wanted, ready to run.”

He took her elbow with a surprisingly gentle grip and led her through the motley assortment of mourners; Clan pilots, a handful of Raiders who escaped the sweeping purge of Force Corporation installations that followed the discovery of his financial links with the Confederation, even a small contingent of gate-race fans, snapping a final salute with incongruously large foam hands. She was grateful the briefing room was in twilight; it hid eyes were swollen red and mascara she knew was running, despite the confident claims of several prominent celebrities.

Silently she took the indicated seat as Jackson picked up the remote and activated the display screen. She watched in silence as the Clan leader manipulated the controls; zooming in on the Boron Orca, picking out the sword shaped Xenon destroyers, lingering over the Mamba leading a pitifully small band of fighters towards them. As a huge Xenon ship filled the screen, it went dead.

“That’s all there is,” Jackson said. “The rest is in the belly of that ship.”

“And it’s genuine?”

Jackson pressed a data chip into her palm.

“Run any tests you like – that’s the original transmission, not a copy.”

Anje slipped it into her purse. “It’d better be, Intel will be all over me – I’ll have to give it up.”

Jackson shrugged. “He’s dead, what more do they want?”

“Certainty Jack, spooks like that big ‘Case Closed’ stamp.”

“They’ll see,” Jackson answered softly. “I popped a nav-sat in Nopileos Memorial and waited. Damn I waited, but no one came.” He shook his head, masking his eyes with a covering hand. “The Xenon don’t take prisoners, he’s really gone.”

He’s really gone. The words hung like a toxic cloud over the room.

“What do you want Jack? Why did you bring me here?”

“A favour,” Jackson replied. “You can’t repeat any of this – swear on Max’s memory.”

She nodded mechanically, feeling that a hole in her reality was about to gape its jaws under her feet. He told her about the unknowns; the beam weapons and the pinpoint jump points that opened on their targets.

“Why are you telling me this Jack?”

“Someone’s got to prepare for this threat,” Jack said softly. “Now that the Powers have opened up all the sectors to free exploitation I thought I’d give Max’s plan a go. Set up some factories, establish a research base.” He tapped a breast pocket. “I’ve got sensor readings. Those beam weapons…. His voice trailed off.

“Yes, that whole Decree of Incorporation thing was just a restraint on trade and their last decision didn’t pan out too well. I hear that Brennan guy is first in line for the trough.”

“It’s going to be mess,” Jackson said, “The war of all against all – hey, that’s a cool phrase, do you think it’ll fit on a T-Shirt? There’ll be anonymous hits on freighters, asteroids mysteriously colliding with stations, the whole nine yards of sentient duplicity. Believe me, I’m an expert.”

“No doubt. What is it you want from me Jack?”

Jackson cradled his fingers and pursed his lips. “Max told me about the Cabal, said his controller thought the organisation compromised, but he still trusted you.”

“He’s dead now.”

“But isn’t that what heroes are like, one falls and another takes his place?”

“I never had you pegged for the hero type.”

“Things change,” Jackson shook his head, “Things change.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“What you did for Artur, what you did for Max. You know what people are like – no one from the President to the Boron Queen’s party-hearty daughter is going to believe in aliens with super-weapons. They’re just going to continue gearing themselves up for last year’s war.”

“A propagandist?”

“That’s one way of looking at it. There’s one more thing.”

Anje looked at Jackson, an eyebrow raised.

“There was a Paranid – did some kind of genetic resequencing job on Max, or Marteene should I say. I want to speak to him. Can you arrange that?”

“Possibly, I’m going to have to think about what you’ve said, check out this data chip. Your trustworthy index rating isn’t exactly stellar.” She checked her timepiece. “My shuttle’s due out soon, I‘ve got to be on it. Things to do, people to meet.”

“But you’ll consider my proposal?”

“I’ll think about it, you’re asking a lot.”

“But you’ll consider it, there’s a universe at stake?”

The publicist paused at the doorway and looked back at the figure hunched in the shadows.

“I’ll think about it and if this sat record checks out I’ll get you that surgeon and I’ll get you a new face.”

She turned and she was gone.

“It’s not for me,” Jack whispered in the dark, “It’s for a friend.”

************THE END**************

[Oldman]

I see visions of an awful lot of scrap metal floating around in space quite soon, with the 'end of game' text scrolling by.....

Oldman

[KiwiNZ]

WOOHOO! What a fight. That really looks like neither of them will make it at the moment. Can't you bring some Borons in the game? Very captivating battle, kept me tense for the whole length of the text! Well well, lets se what will happen next. Currentluy it does like as though Law and Max will hit the dust. I guess Max' weakness are the Eels, the Mambas should easily outrun everything else. But so should the Enterprise. The Split carrier and the majority of its ships should not pose a great threat to the Orca, only the slowest ones of its fighters.

Looking forward to the next part!


"Napileos" = Nopileos

[SteveMill]

WOOHOO! What a fight. That really looks like neither of them will make it at the moment. Can't you bring some Borons in the game? Very captivating battle, kept me tense for the whole length of the text! Well well, lets se what will happen next. Currentluy it does like as though Law and Max will hit the dust. I guess Max' weakness are the Eels, the Mambas should easily outrun everything else. But so should the Enterprise. The Split carrier and the majority of its ships should not pose a great threat to the Orca, only the slowest ones of its fighters.

Looking forward to the next part!


"Napileos" = Nopileos

Thanks for the correction - that's how its spelt on my map which is why i get it wrong each time. That should read 'cruiser' not carrier, did I confuse things somewhere?

I'm assuming that cruisers are faster than Orca's in the absence of XT to check.

Things are looking grim. More later in the day hopefully.

[KiwiNZ]

my bad. it is cruiser and I just went down the wrong track when I read 'deployed fighters'.

looking forward to the next bit

[Mercenary]

Excellent battle, very nip and tuck.

Let's hope Jack doesn't act Hero and get the Mamba blown up. Looking forward to the next part with eagerness.

Perhaps an order to put on environment suits just in case of hull breaches is required....

[Al]

Wow.

Al

[Gandalf The White]

Lol, looks like they are all goners lol.

Keep it coming, can't weight

[SteveMill]

Part 2 added below the ------------------------

[ImmortalZ]

Khaak!?!

[Gandalf The White]

Not likely, unless we are looking at an alternative form of the X-universe here.

[Sirilius]

Whoa this is great! Can't wait for the rest of the chapter!

[SteveMill]

Not likely, unless we are looking at an alternative form of the X-universe here.

Why not - they were in the XT Perseus mission?

But yes - because this set of stories began before I knew much of the revised XT background, it probably is an alternative x-universe. The boron became aquatic rather than amphibious after xbtf but it was too late then and its too late to change the ending i've had planned for awhile if there's anything in x2 that contradicts events here.

[Al]

Something very Khaak like about this, but I'll bide my time before drawing conclusions

Al

[Mercenary]

Not likely, unless we are looking at an alternative form of the X-universe here.

Why not - they were in the XT Perseus mission?

But yes - because this set of stories began before I knew much of the revised XT background, it probably is an alternative x-universe. The boron became aquatic rather than amphibious after xbtf but it was too late then and its too late to change the ending i've had planned for awhile if there's anything in x2 that contradicts events here.

True they were mentioned in the Perseus mission but not seen. But then again how do rumours start. First off a few isolated sightings by a few indiviuals out on the fringes. When the experts get there, what do they find.... nothing, not a sausage. Why because the Xenon became aware of the threat and moved in to deal with it..

Then the rumour fades right up until the next sighting maybe 20 Jazuras later... that's just my view on it.

Even so in TT2 I have a similar dilemma where the Khaak utilise the jumpgates in the story but in the game they open up jumpholes randomly. Yet in the TT4 this can be reflected as an advancement in Khaak technology.

Anyway great continuation, but I'm wondering how Max is going to deal the final death blow to Law. Looking forward to the next part.

[FourFingers]

damn!
After the first part i thought i could start breathing again,
Now i find myself once again holding my breath..

(dont wanna put any pressure on you but i can only hold my breath for so long... already my face looks like a Khaak ship!)

[SteveMill]

danm!
After the first part i thought i could start breathing again,
Now i find myself once again holding my breath..

(dont wanna put any pressure on you but i can only hold my breath for so long... already my face looks like a Khaak ship!)

There's nothing like a sustained violent denoument to end a story.

More soon hopefully, certainly by close of business Wednesday.

[SteveMill]

Not likely, unless we are looking at an alternative form of the X-universe here.

Why not - they were in the XT Perseus mission?

But yes - because this set of stories began before I knew much of the revised XT background, it probably is an alternative x-universe. The boron became aquatic rather than amphibious after xbtf but it was too late then and its too late to change the ending i've had planned for awhile if there's anything in x2 that contradicts events here.

True they were mentioned in the Perseus mission but not seen. But then again how do rumours start. First off a few isolated sightings by a few indiviuals out on the fringes. When the experts get there, what do they find.... nothing, not a sausage. Why because the Xenon became aware of the threat and moved in to deal with it..

Then the rumour fades right up until the next sighting maybe 20 Jazuras later... that's just my view on it.

Even so in TT2 I have a similar dilemma where the Khaak utilise the jumpgates in the story but in the game they open up jumpholes randomly. Yet in the TT4 this can be reflected as an advancement in Khaak technology.

Anyway great continuation, but I'm wondering how Max is going to deal the final death blow to Law. Looking forward to the next part.

That would be my take on things - rumour and myth like the Shadows in B5 until they reveal themselves.

[Moss]

The figt between Law and Max, tho short, was very feral, I actualy thought, while reading, that this would be the final battle untill Law slipped away again.

The continuation of the space battle was a riveting read, the end of the Black Heart was very well described and violent, doesn't look like the Enterprise will be going anywhere far any time soon tho, and now we have a Khaak Xenon incursion, and neither are friends to anyone.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this ends, at the moment tho, it looks like Max may well be robbed of his kill.

[SteveMill]

The figt between Law and Max, tho short, was very feral, I actualy thought, while reading, that this would be the final battle untill Law slipped away again.

The continuation of the space battle was a riveting read, the end of the Black Heart was very well described and violent, doesn't look like the Enterprise will be going anywhere far any time soon tho, and now we have a Khaak Xenon incursion, and neither are friends to anyone.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this ends, at the moment tho, it looks like Max may well be robbed of his kill.

I've finished the last chapter but i'll hold off posting it until I've finished the Epilogue. This time tomorrow it should all be over.