ship, missing it by clear but close margins.
"That should do it," said Cole. "We'll approach with our shields up. If they fire even a single shot, we're turning tail and running back to the ship, and you'll aim your next couple of shots a little better— but I don't think it's going to happen. They know we can destroy them at will. The fact that we haven't ought to convince them that we have no intention of doing so."
"You hope," said Val.
"I hope," he replied.
They approached without being fired upon, bonded hatch-to-hatch, and the Mollute quickly opened the lock on the Naval ship's hatch. Cole was about to enter when Val pushed him to the back and walked in first, followed by Pampas and the Polonoi.
All forty-two crew members stood facing them, weapons drawn, but no one fired a shot. When Val was sure they weren't going to fire first, she stepped aside and let Cole walk to the front of the boarding party.
"We mean you no harm," he said. "We have disabled your transmitter and antenna, but once we have what we came for, we'll broadcast an SOS to the remainder of your fleet, and we won't leave the area until we know it has been received. We seek no prisoners. We want one item from your ship. It is not any of your weaponry. If you make no attempt to hinder us, no one on either side will be hurt, and we'll be off your ship and sending that SOS inside of ten minutes."
The two sides stared at each other silently for a long minute. Finally the captain of the ship holstered his weapon, and the rest of his crew followed suit. Then Cole turned to Pampas. "Okay, Bull, go pull it and take it back to the shuttle."
Pampas walked over to the main control panel, studied it, shook his head, and began looking around the deck. Finally he saw what he wanted and began making his way to it. An ensign, almost as powerfully built, moved to block his way.
"None of that," said the captain of the ship, and the ensign stepped aside.
Pampas pulled out some tools, signaled for the Polonoi to help him, and in four more minutes they had the computer disconnected and detached.
"Okay," said Cole, as Pampas lifted it in his massive arms, "take it back to the shuttle and we'll be on our way."
Pampas walked past him to the hatch, but Cole paid no attention to him. He was watching a crewman who was staring intently at him, his body tense, his fingers flexing nervously.
"It's him!" the crewman finally shouted.
The ship's captain turned to him questioningly.
"It's Wilson Cole!" he yelled.
"Don't do anything stupid, son," said Cole.
"You son of a bitch, we've been after you for four years!" said the crewman. He reached for his weapon. Val put a beam of solid light between his eyes before his fingers touched it.
Suddenly more weapons appeared. Val began cursing and firing, as did the Polonoi and the Mollute. Pampas dropped the computer and went for his weapon. Energy pulses and solid light bounced off Cole's body armor as he pulled his own burner and began firing.
It was a slaughter. One side had body armor, one didn't. In a matter of thirty seconds the crew of the Navy ship lay dead or dying on the deck. The Mollute was also dead, brought down by a shot to his unprotected head. Cole turned to see if Pampas, who had been standing behind him, was all right, and saw him kneeling next to the computer, which had been melted by a stray laser blast.
"Wonderful!" muttered Cole angrily. "Just wonderful!"
"Do you want to move any of the wounded to the Teddy R, sir?" asked the Polonoi.
Cole surveyed the carnage, and finally shook his head. "There are nine or ten still twitching. Our infirmary can't handle that many, and they're in a bad way."
"Shall we send the SOS, then?"
"No," said Cole. "If they save a single survivor, they'll know the Teddy R did this and they'll have the whole fucking Navy after us— and we're only three hours ahead of them. Let's get back to the shuttle."
"What about our dead comrade, sir?" asked the Polonoi, indicating the
"That should do it," said Cole. "We'll approach with our shields up. If they fire even a single shot, we're turning tail and running back to the ship, and you'll aim your next couple of shots a little better— but I don't think it's going to happen. They know we can destroy them at will. The fact that we haven't ought to convince them that we have no intention of doing so."
"You hope," said Val.
"I hope," he replied.
They approached without being fired upon, bonded hatch-to-hatch, and the Mollute quickly opened the lock on the Naval ship's hatch. Cole was about to enter when Val pushed him to the back and walked in first, followed by Pampas and the Polonoi.
All forty-two crew members stood facing them, weapons drawn, but no one fired a shot. When Val was sure they weren't going to fire first, she stepped aside and let Cole walk to the front of the boarding party.
"We mean you no harm," he said. "We have disabled your transmitter and antenna, but once we have what we came for, we'll broadcast an SOS to the remainder of your fleet, and we won't leave the area until we know it has been received. We seek no prisoners. We want one item from your ship. It is not any of your weaponry. If you make no attempt to hinder us, no one on either side will be hurt, and we'll be off your ship and sending that SOS inside of ten minutes."
The two sides stared at each other silently for a long minute. Finally the captain of the ship holstered his weapon, and the rest of his crew followed suit. Then Cole turned to Pampas. "Okay, Bull, go pull it and take it back to the shuttle."
Pampas walked over to the main control panel, studied it, shook his head, and began looking around the deck. Finally he saw what he wanted and began making his way to it. An ensign, almost as powerfully built, moved to block his way.
"None of that," said the captain of the ship, and the ensign stepped aside.
Pampas pulled out some tools, signaled for the Polonoi to help him, and in four more minutes they had the computer disconnected and detached.
"Okay," said Cole, as Pampas lifted it in his massive arms, "take it back to the shuttle and we'll be on our way."
Pampas walked past him to the hatch, but Cole paid no attention to him. He was watching a crewman who was staring intently at him, his body tense, his fingers flexing nervously.
"It's him!" the crewman finally shouted.
The ship's captain turned to him questioningly.
"It's Wilson Cole!" he yelled.
"Don't do anything stupid, son," said Cole.
"You son of a bitch, we've been after you for four years!" said the crewman. He reached for his weapon. Val put a beam of solid light between his eyes before his fingers touched it.
Suddenly more weapons appeared. Val began cursing and firing, as did the Polonoi and the Mollute. Pampas dropped the computer and went for his weapon. Energy pulses and solid light bounced off Cole's body armor as he pulled his own burner and began firing.
It was a slaughter. One side had body armor, one didn't. In a matter of thirty seconds the crew of the Navy ship lay dead or dying on the deck. The Mollute was also dead, brought down by a shot to his unprotected head. Cole turned to see if Pampas, who had been standing behind him, was all right, and saw him kneeling next to the computer, which had been melted by a stray laser blast.
"Wonderful!" muttered Cole angrily. "Just wonderful!"
"Do you want to move any of the wounded to the Teddy R, sir?" asked the Polonoi.
Cole surveyed the carnage, and finally shook his head. "There are nine or ten still twitching. Our infirmary can't handle that many, and they're in a bad way."
"Shall we send the SOS, then?"
"No," said Cole. "If they save a single survivor, they'll know the Teddy R did this and they'll have the whole fucking Navy after us— and we're only three hours ahead of them. Let's get back to the shuttle."
"What about our dead comrade, sir?" asked the Polonoi, indicating the
Similar Books
Unknown
Unknown
The Eden Series: The Complete Collection
Janelle Stalder
Kilting Me Softly: 1
Persephone Jones
Darkness Under the Sun
Dean Koontz
Sybil
Flora Rheta Schreiber
The Pyramid
William Golding
Nothing is Forever
Grace Thompson
Series of Unfortunate Events: The Grim Grotto
Lemony Snicket
The Tiger's Wife
Tea Obreht