SPECTRES Act 6 : Hunters
10 Jun 2020Maggie Oz
Feast you eyes on Act 5 first ! I stood in front of the mirror. I'd aged.
My hair, usually wild and unruly was flat and hung limp. I had always been so proud of my long locks.
I raised the clippers and with slow deliberate strokes shaved it all off.
"What are you doing lovey?" CSM Cloverdale asked
"I'm going to run this thing down .... now. " I replied "I'm going to the Celecsital Surveillience Hub and see if I can track Jamie's assailant... then go form there"
"Into Federation Space? As a clone? Maybe the most well know clone of all?"
"I have to do something, Emilia, I'm just going back to the palace and collect some things and then I'll head off and see what I can find"
The CSM hugged me and bent down to kiss my forehead.
"All right Maggie, you go and do what you have too. I'll do what I can from here"
"Thank you Emilia"
I returned to the palace. DAC had pretty much cleaned everything up, he had a repair crew booked for later in the morning.
I dug out my most ragged and used set of casual clothes that looked similar-ish to Federation sytles. They might make me look a bit less Imperial, or not.
"DAC?" I called
"Yes Madam?" he replied
"Thank you ... for last night. You were amazing"
"You are welcome Madam, It is my function to care for you"
"I'm glad."
"I am sorry I can not make you un-sad"
"Thank you, DAC" I said more tenderly than I would have to any other machine.
"There is a pending comm message for you, Ma'm"
I noticed the message light flashing on the comm.
It was from Jamie .... oh no, it's timestamp 1815 yesterday.
With trepidation, I called it up.
His face appeared, my heart ached. I ran my finger down the side of his face as he spoke.
"Hi, babe. Not much time. Some clown is hailing me telling me they are an Auxilla Queen and they are to escort me. She thinks I'm silly enough to fall for it. Clearly a trap.
Thing is love, it's also our best chance, our only chance, to find out what's behind all this. So I'm going to submit and they'll take me. I've put my EBU into breadcrumb so it will lead you straight to them. Come get me. Whatever happens Maggie, just remember, I love you, until the end of time."
My heart leapt! There's a chance.
"DAC?"
"Yes, Madam?"
"You have just made me Un-sad"
"That is good news, Madam!"
I immediately comm'ed the Athanasia Clinic and asked to speak to my clinician, Maggie Turner
"Hello Maggie, James has activated breadcrumb, I need his location ASAP" I blurted out as soon as I was put through.
"OK. No problem. I'll get the team at S&R to send you the location. I'll go now bye." She replied with equal urgency. We only had so much time.
Time to go. I headed for the spaceport.
When I got to the tube station Jock, Rick and Ensign Winters were waiting for me.
"What's going on Rick?" I asked, noticing they were all dressed in civvies
"CSM Cloverdale contacted me, said you might need some help. Given as I'm your aide I thought I'd best ... well, aid" he replied with a grin.
"Jock?" I said looking at the roguish Scot
"Mr Jamie still owes me 50 quid Ma'm, canna be lettin' that goo"
"Ensign Winters? " I said turning to the diminutive Marine Officer
"Amy was my cousin Mar'm," she said with a steely look
I regarded them all for a moment as a scolding mother might.
"Well alright then. Just as well I put the pax lounges in the ship, my smallest ship, Jock" I said, seeing Jock pale slightly at the prospect.
The tube car arrived and we clambered in and were taken swiftly to the spaceport and boarded Roller Girl.
Once inside, I started prepping for launch, keeping an eye on the comm for the location of Jamie's EBU to come through.
"Mar'm" said Jock
"Chap's I think if we are playing the part of desperados in Federal space we'd best drop the "mar'm". Maggie, Jock, Rick, " I said pointing to each in turn," and? " I pointed at Ensign Winters
"Sandrajantkangana" she replied, there was a pregnant pause, "Sandi is fine," she said will a laugh.
"Right that's sorted then, what did you want Jock?"
"CSM Cloverdale sent along some things she thought we might need," he said as he opened the kit bad he'd been carrying.
It contained a number of Friedman and Brill L887 MultiG's, the standard light sidearm of the Royal Marines.
They are light and compact, fire a powerful cartridge and can be fired as a pistol or submachine gun. Perfect for ship and station board action.
They fit easily into a holster and but are still big enough to look menacing.
I picked one up.
"Are you OK with that Maggie?"
"Yes Jock, I don't like guns but that doesn't mean I can't use one."
"Are you sure Mags?" he sounded doubtful
"Jock I did three tours of Emerald," I told him, he still looked dubious, "I wasn't doing supply runs Jock, I was an Orbital, so I've a pretty good idea of which end the bullets come out," I said grinning
He looked at me with a new level of respect as I strapped on a holster, grabbed 2 magazines and then checked, cleared and holstered the weapon.
All we needed to do now was wait.
After a few minutes, there was a knock on the airlock door.
We all looked at each other.
"Rick, see who it is will you?" I asked
Rick opened the lock while Jamie stood covering him off to one side.
Standing outside was a tall and lean spacer with that casual stance of a Federali
"Am lookin' fer the Lady Azt-a-lan, was told this here is 'er ship?" he said with a drawling Federal accent
"Who the fook is askin?" Jock jumped in, ever the diplomat
"May I say whom is calling ?" asked Rick
"Name is Rad, y'all won't know me, but I reckon we have a common goal. A certain... associate... has asked that I look into the circumstances and causes of the recent unfortunate... deaths... of clones."
I walked to the airlock
"Pleased to meet you Mr Rad, however, I am afraid we are to soon leave and we really don't have time to discuss your associate's concerns."
"I presume you are Lady Aztlan?"
"Yes, Maggie."
"A pleasure, to be sure, Ma'am", he said with a nod and a slight smile, "Thing is... Maggie... y'all will be headin' to Federation Space and this here", he said stepping back and motioning his hand to encompass Roller Girl, shaking his head a bit, "ain't gonna git you too far, they'll run you down at the border. As I'm sure you're aware, Imper'ls ain't so popular over my way these days."
"I guess we'll just do the best we can, it wouldn't be the first time I've snuck through Federal Space."
"That's as may be but.... I could git you through, no questions asked."
"He has point Maggie," Sandi piped up. "We stand out like dog's bollocks, especially if we're going into a nest of mercenaries."
I thought for a moment,
"How do we know we can trust you?"
"Well, I reckon you don't, but if I'd wanted you dead I could have just thrown a grenade in the lock when your pal opened it just now."
Just then the comm chimed.
Sandi read it off and called out "EBU tracked to Gabriel Enterprise in Harma, Maggie. They believe the ship to be an Alliance Challenger ODYSSEUS "
I had to take a chance
"Alright Rad, take us there, now."
More commanders join Maggie and J_Dog. Nelson's eventful trip to Harma