Mitchell's Revenge
The Guardian Angel, Karhu System border

Rufus exited FTL flight at the edgeof the Karhu system, exactly as the flight protocols dictated. The ship lurchedas they settled into a more appropriate speed.

“At least we’re where we’resupposed to be this time,” said Natasha.

Bolter rolled his eyes at her. Ared light flashed at him from his command board. He glanced at it and frowned.

“There’s something we’re not seeinghere,” he muttered. “Why’s that flashing all of a sudden?”

“It’s the warship!” Flick shouted. “We’reblind on one side, remember? It must have followed us from the shipping lane.”

“Power up the weapons,” commandedFlex. “We turn and fight. If we run it’ll blow us to pieces based on what wesaw back there.”

“There’s another ship heading thisway,” said Flick, watching the data on her board. “It’s largish and notmilitary. Weapons are hot. Maybe we’ll have help.”

“Just great,” said Natasha. “Twosmall ships against an Eridanian warship. You’ve got to be kidding!”

“We’ll have more help in a fewminutes,” came a quiet voice from behind her. Natasha spun around to see LouPejic, the empath, hunkered down in her seat, trembling. She had her armswrapped tightly around her torso and she looked terrified. Natasha glared ather.

“What do you mean?” she said.

“There’s a Karhu system destroyeron its way,” Lou replied. “And they’re coming to help.”

“What about this other ship?” askedFlex. “This Mitchell’s Revenge?”

“They’re planning to fight too,”Lou replied. The coms crackled suddenly.

“This is U.S.E. breakdown andrepair ship Mitchell’s Revenge,” Jake’s voice came clearly onto the bridge. “Why’sthe warship following you?”

“We picked up survivors in theSpansion shipping lane,” replied Flex briefly. “We didn’t know the warship hadfollowed us until we arrived here just now.”

“Warship’s targeting,” shoutedRufus.

“I’m on it,” said Flick quietly. “Ourweapons are hot. I suggest we hit them before they hit us!”

Lucy moved faster on Mitchell’sRevenge than Flick on the Guardian Angel. A rapid burst of weapons fire cutinto the side of the Eridanian ship, prompting an immediate reaction. Smallcraft began to emerge from the warship like a swarm of wasps and they headeddirectly for the two smaller ships.

“That’s it!” yelled Flex. “Let’sget out of here. Jump, Rufus, jump!”

“I’m too close to the other ship,”he yelled back at Flex. “We’ll damage ourselves as well as them.”

“Run then!” replied Flex. “Just getus out of here!”

“Destroyer’s arrived,” advisedFlick.

Rufus moved them back towards theiroriginal course to Tiberion. He navigated the Angel frantically between thesmaller Eridanian craft, only just avoiding each of them as they tried to latchonto the surface of the ship. The Angels’ rough, antenna laden and knobblyexterior made it difficult for them to grab hold quickly and Rufus was able todance away.

Jake watched from the bridge of Mitchell’sRevenge. He was stunned by the skill of the Guardian Angels’ pilot as the uglylittle ship danced away from each of the smaller attack craft. Then the destroyerCygnus arrived. Its weapons blazed at the Eridanian warship.

Lucy was targeting the smallerEridanian craft with their own weapons as the destroyer made short work of thewarship. It slowly broke apart as the destroyer got close enough to do realdamage. One by one the smaller craft were obliterated. The Guardian Angel slidfrom view.

“Captain, we’ve got a problem!”shouted Henri.

“Are we hit?” asked Jake.

“No,” replied Matt, who was monitoring theirsystems closely. “One of those small craft has latched on to us. They’recutting through our hull just above the parts storage bay. I’ve shut off theaccess ducts around the area, but they’re locked on very tight. I don’t knowhow we’re going to get them off.”

“Leave it to me,” said Lucysuddenly. “Jake, take over helm and weapons. Keep your eyes peeled for any moreof those little ships and blast them if they get too close. I’m going to killsome Eridanians.”

“I beg your pardon,” said Jake,looking at his childhood friend in amazement. “You’re going to what?”

“You heard me,” said Lucy. “I’mgoing to remove our visitors. Before they remove us. See if your military mateswant to give us a hand.”

Lucy rose from her seat and ranfrom the bridge to gather her EVA gear and weapons. Then she detoured to Jake’squarters to grab a weapon that she knew Jake kept for special emergencies. Shewouldn’t know what she’d need until she saw the aliens. Em loped after her as Lucysprinted towards the parts storage section of the ship.

“Jake, tell me what you see,” Lucydemanded through her head set. “I can see through the hull but I can’t see whatkind of life form they are. And how many. What can you see?”

Jake had recovered sufficientlyfrom Lucy’s pronouncement to replace his old mercenary training kick in. He calmlydescribed what he could see on the vid feed from the parts storage bay, andwhat the aliens appeared to be doing.

“Be careful Lucy,” he said. “Thereare three of them. They have tentacles. And they appear to be very strong. Theycan move quite quickly, although what seems to be their main body is quitebulky and looks soft. I’m going to see if our military friends can give us somehelp from outside, so just be wary. OK?”

“Understood,” replied Lucy. “Matt,make sure those ducts are completely sealed. It looks as if they’re trying tosend something along them. It must be mechanical because I can see it quiteclearly. See if you can route the power away from this area. It might slow themdown a bit.”

The coms crackled on the bridge.

“Jake, it’s Admiral Bokkveld of theCygnus,” the Admiral’s voice came loud and clear through the coms. “I’m sendinga couple of our special EVA units over to see if we can get that ship off yourhull. Tell me what’s happening at your end.”

Jake quickly explained that Lucyand Em were on their way to repel the boarders.

“Ah, yes,” said the Admiral. “Thecyborg. But what’s this about a panther?”

“Jake,” Lucy’s voice came urgentlyonto the bridge. “What are they doing now?”

Jake glanced back at the vid feed.

“They seem to be resting,” hereplied. “They’ve formed a kind of nest with their bodies in the middle of thestorage bay.”

“Get Henri to shut the oxygen off inthere,” she said. “Let’s see what it does. I’ve got oxygen and Em can tolerate afew minutes without it. Do it now Henri!”

“They’re waving their tentacles,”advised Jake. “Now they’re starting to look a bit agitated. And there are fourof them now.”

“Great,” said Lucy. “Selfreplicating aliens. Let’s do this quickly. Open the access door for me Matt. Now.Let’s get them Em.”

As the door sprang open the aliensreacted to the inrush of oxygen by standing tall on their tentacles andexpanding their bodies as if they were trying to suck it into their core. Mattslammed the door shut and the oxygen supply vanished. Jake watched the vid feedas Lucy quite literally went berserk.

His eyes widened as he saw herwield the ceremonial samurai sword he had collected during his mercenary days. Inmoments she was surrounded by tentacles and green liquid, which then began torapidly reform itself into more of the life forms.

Em had one of the creatures in hermouth and was dashing it from side to side, spraying green goo all over the bay.Her thick fur protected her from the tentacles. The newlings tried to grab holdof the panther but Lucy wrenched them away with her gloved hands and dashedthem to the floor.

“Matt, we need oxygen, now!” Lucyyelled to the bridge. Matt switched the flow of oxygen back on. The newlingsdoubled in size as they absorbed the oxygen.

Lucy wrenched a flame thrower fromthe equipment belt on her suit, powered it up and stood with Em at her back. Shecarpeted the floor with flame. The creatures blackened and withered, instantlyturning to ash. The squeals as they died were pitiful to hear. Em crouched onthe floor with her front paws pressed over her ears until the squealingstopped.

“Look above you Lucy,” Jake’s voicecame urgently through her headset.

Another creature was starting tosqueeze its’ way through the hole they had cut into Mitchell’s Revenge. Itstentacles grabbed at anything close by in order to gain purchase and dragitself into the storage bay. Lucy shoved Em into the access way. She sealed thestorage bay door just as the creature managed to squeeze through the hole. Mitchell’s Revenge shuddered as something madecontact with the outer hull.

“Get out of there now!” shoutedJake. “There’s a military crew on the hull. They’ve almost levered the boardingcraft loose. You’re about to lose pressure down there. Move!”

Lucy and Em didn’t hesitate. Theysprinted away from the cargo bay so fast that they registered as a blur ofmotion on the vid feed. They reached the next compartment of the ship andsealed the access door just as the alien craft was prised free from their skin.The ship rocked from the activity outside. Oxygen leaked out. Matt shut off thesupply again.

The creature in the parts storage baywas instantly sucked out into space. Unsecured bits and pieces followed it intothe vacuum. It floated silently away from Mitchell’s Revenge. The tentaclessplayed out around its central body slowly disappeared from view under a layerof ice crystals.