Interstellar Mercenary (Space Scout Book 4) by Will Macmillan Jones

Author:Will Macmillan Jones [Macmillan Jones, Will]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Kite Publishing
Published: 2019-04-30T22:00:00+00:00

*

The Speedbird dropped out of hyperspace at the destination. I held my breath, waiting for the collision alert or missile lock alarms to start screaming: the resounding silence was somehow worse. I killed all forward speed and started scanning the immediate area for any threats.

“Are we there yet?” asked Rennie, sounding like any petulant teenager taken on a long trip.

“Close.” I pointed at a planet in the forward vidscreen. “There’s the outer planet. Morainis is further in.”

“What are we waiting for, then?”

“I’m assessing the level of threat before proceeding with caution.”

“And?”

“And what, Rennie?”

“And what is the level of threat, Frank?”

“Can’t see anything, right now,” I admitted. “But if this place is as close to the border as it seems, and the Imperium are keeping their grip on the system as the rumours say, then we would be very silly to think that the system will be undefended.” I tweaked the power lever and set a course for a moon that was orbiting the outer planet.

“Where are we going?” asked Rennie.

“Let’s set down on that moon, and watch. There’s bound to be some traffic coming this way, and we can watch what happens.” It didn’t take too long for me to put the Speedbird down on the surface of the moon. The moon itself seemed completely deserted, and a quick scan of the outer planet revealed nothing to alarm me. Time passed…

“Is this all the music you’ve got? Nothing modern?”

“I like jazz.”

“Frank, you’re weird.”

More time passed.

“Frank, we could grow old doing this. Just sitting around bored.”

“Growing old in boredom sounds like a good plan to me. Better than dying quickly in excitement. Do you play chess?”

“No.”

Time passed.

“Queen to King’s Bishop three: that’s checkmate. Again.”

“I thought you couldn’t play chess, Rennie?”

“I said that I didn’t, not that I couldn’t.”

A bleeping alarm from the flight deck saved Rennie from experiencing a momentary excitement. “That’s a proximity alarm!” I exclaimed and headed for the flight deck. Rennie followed me, looking alternatively smug and alarmed.

“What’s to see?”

I scanned the immediate area frantically, and finally located a ship. I pointed to it on the vidscreen. “There. Looks like an interstellar freighter. Starting its run in to the system.”

“Well it hasn’t exploded, so it must be safe enough.”

We watched the ugly, dumpy, space freighter forge steadily into the system. It carried no markings that I could see, and the comms channel was silent. Except for two rotating orange beacons, there were no visible external lights. Except for those two beacons the ship might have been a hulk, forever wandering between stars. I shivered. That was a fate that quite possible awaited me. Abandoned, dead, (or so seriously ill that I was on the waiting list for a visit from the Grim Reaper) possibly in great pain and quite alone and beyond all aid. I shivered.

“Someone walked over your grave?” asked Rennie, cheerfully.

I was saved from replying. Out of nowhere, light beams struck the freighter, flared against inadequate and futile shields. The freighter exploded, sparking unimaginable colours.

“Whoa!” yelled Rennie.

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