Episode XV
Stealing Lightning

 
 Kate and Extinguisher stood a long moment. Kate didn’t dare move she shook slightly. The hands of the old warrior didn’t even ripple with any sign of blood; the man was somewhere around sixty, though you wouldn’t recognize it. The human life span had increased; men were living long, and looking younger as they grew old. Extinguisher gripped the needle with his full strength; he was the first to speak.
 “Leave here Captain.” Extinguisher said, the syringe was full in his hand. It was filled with a deadly poison. A poison with no cure. But Extinguisher never wanted to be saved, to himself, he died out there, eighteen months ago, a lifetime for Extinguisher, but he died with his fellow pilots. “I told him, he would be safe, that we’d protect him. He was old enough to take care of himself, but he was still the youngest among us.” A tear rolled down Extinguishers cold hard face.
 “It wasn’t your fault.” Extinguisher shook his face.
 “No!” He yelled, Kate moved back. “I should have been there, I should have died, he should be alive now, not me.” The needle didn’t move, it was just inches from his skin. He began to laugh, slowly. “I almost died, on that first day, when that Fire Extinguisher nearly fell on me.” He continued to laugh, but then stopped quickly. “Stonefox said I was lucky.” He looked out the window. “They came from nowhere, I should have seen it coming, because of me they’re dead.” His hand shook for a moment and then froze again, the veins on his face pulled away from his warm flesh. His face twisted in agony. “We didn’t even get off one shot.”
 “There was nothing you could do…” Kate tried slowly. Dove shook his head.
 “I should have tried something, Stonefox… Stonefox always said we were warriors, warriors fighting for a just war, not to prolong an unjust peace. Stonefox always said a warrior should die in battle, and always be avenged.” Kate pushed forward, very quickly; she pushed past the small operating table until she was face to face with Extinguisher.
 “Go ahead, kill yourself.” She began. “Take the easy way out, forget your duty.” Extinguisher shook his head slowly.
 “I have no duty.”
 “You have a duty!” Kate shot back; she was as fierce as a mountain lion. Her face was hard, and she held herself rigid, her hand on Sam’s sword. “You are a warrior, Stonefox,” She paused a moment. She softened up slightly, just enough to let her voice fall to a softer tone; she looked a bit to the right as if trying not to offend anyone. “Knight, left you one final duty.” She drew her sword.
 “Richtoven...” Extinguisher said slowly. Kate caught the clew; Richtoven let David live to torment him, to ruin him, to destroy the Black Sparrows.
 “You have a warriors vow to honour.” Kate said quietly. She drew Sam’s sword and passed it, “Richtoven must die.” Extinguisher nodded.
 “And we will kill him.” Kate nodded. Extinguisher let the syringe fall on the floor. It landed in a pool of Extinguisher’s own sweet. Extinguisher took hold of the sword by the blade. Kate slid down the hilt, and then let go, she took a hold of the sword’s blade, just below Extinguisher’s hand. “He will die. The Black Sparrows will be avenged. I will see to it.”
 “Good, because if you’re not dying I have a sickbay to prepare.” Kate smiled. Extinguisher let go of the sword and he turned around and walked towards his office. He turned slowly. He placed his hands on the small operating table. “And Kate, thank you.” Kate shook her head and smiled, her braid swishing back and forth.
 “I didn’t do anything. Just remind you of your duty.” Extinguisher smiled, he turned and walked into his office.
 “Then thank you for that thing you didn’t do.” Kate smiled. She put her sword back into its scabbard and walked out of the sickbay.  Extinguisher walked into his office, the door slid closed behind him. He looked over at his desk; the small fragment of a ship that had been Stonefox’s sat there on its black stand, quiet, not moving. He gave out a long sigh. He let his hand fall on the black glass-like table, he dragged his hand across is, and sat down hard in his chair. He slumped back and stared at the ceiling.

 Two patrols of Hercules MKIIs passed slowly through space. “All quiet out here Alpha 1,” One of the pilots said.
 “Copy that 4, let’s take it around for another pass.” The four Hercules fighters turned off and headed towards the Requiem.
 “Hold on Alpha, something just jumped across my scream.”
 “Can you get a lock Beta 2?”
 “Hold on Alpha 1. Command, can I get a scan at vector Two-Zerro-Zerro-Alpha?” The deck officer checked her panel; she frowned and clicked on the comm. system.
 “This is command, We’re reading a faint energy signature emanating from that sector. Very faint, could be an Awack. Check it out Alpha, Bet a Fly support.”
 “Copy that Command.” Alpha 1 said, he pulled his fighter across space and they headed towards the signature. David stormed unto the bridge.
 “Report.” The deck officer turned.
 “Sir, reading a faint energy signature, could be an Awack, Alpha and Beta have gone to check.” David turned sharply.
 “Both of them?” The lieutenant shrugged. He turned to the screen. Punch up all targets. The screen flickered from space to the bright green grid. Six small green triangles moved slowly across the screen towards the unknown. David stroked his dark beard. “Why’s it all the way out there?” He looked deep into the dark image. “What is it doing?” His eyes suddenly went wide. Alpha 1 called up.
 “Sir, it is an Awack, it’s scanning this system at a high frequency dipping into subspace, and making a map. Orders?” David suddenly spoke up.
 “Destroy that craft.” He turned to the helm. “Helm, bring us about, move this crate!” The bridge crew didn’t know what was going on, the ship started to move. “Scan for unknown…” Suddenly Alpha one sprayed across the comm. system.
 “Unknown jump signatures sighted, We’re under attack, repeat we are under attack.” The ship suddenly sprung into battle alert. The ship became alive.
 “That’s what they were doing, they were fixing our position.”
 “Sir, we’re reading twelve fighters around our patrols, a Transport, Elysian class, and a series of fighters, old Athena’s. That transport and its wing are headed straight for us.” David spun around.
“Fire Control, take down that Transport.” It was too late; the fighters unleashed a fury of Stiletto missiles into the weapons systems of the Requiem. The weapons system of the mighty ship fell quickly. The panel in front of the fire control officer exploded out, the officers fell back over his chair and fell to the deck as sparks landed around him. He covered his eyes as the sparks bounced off the floor.
“Sir, they’ve made contact with the hull.”
“Sir, hull breach in progress on deck 67b. That’s next to the medical ward.” An officer said, a med. team had responded to the bridge and they were already treating the fallen officer.
“Get a team down there.” David yelled. Four security guards exited the lift door and took up position around the room. One handed David an oversized pistol. David examined the barrel and slipped it into a holster at his hip. “We can’t blow off that transport, or well suck sickbay out into space. Damn it.” He checked the screen; the small red triangles slowly disappeared off of space.

“Come on, Move quicker, fortify that area!” The enemy commander was a tall stiff man; he grabbed on of the soldiers, and then threw him off. The man had a long scar running down his face; it disappeared under his dark hair.
“These GTVA officers are fools.” The soldier said, the man with the scar shook his head.
“Ah, the GTVA is many things, but fools they are not, no.” He looked around. They won’t risk destroying the transport, no. That would compromise sickbay, the only area that can’t be sealed off. And they must know we don’t mean to take the ship, yes. I wouldn’t be trying to take the ship would I? No.” He started to walk down the hallway; his dark NTF uniform was draped by a long black trenchcoat. The coat followed behind the man. “Fortify the sickbay, hurry it up, we don’t have long before those dogs get here.” They stopped outside the sickbay door. “Let’s move.” He pulled a gun from his coat and walked through the door.
Extinguisher noticed, he saw the door slid open. “Auto-cannons, on!” A small automatic gun slipped down out of the ceiling, the man with the scar took no time in blasting the small device. It shorted out and hung limply from its holder. Smoke sparked from the circuitry. Extinguisher ran out, dodging behind the beds.
The NTF soldiers opened up, their bullets crashed against the table. “NO!” the man with the scar yelled. “Stop firing, we want him alive.” The doctor slid across the floor and picked up the syringe. He tossed at one of the soldiers and kept moving towards the weapons locker.
The seringe struck a soldier in the neck, the soldier grabbed at the needle, but he died before he could pull it out. “Poison.” The man with the scar muttered under his breath. The first soldier turned to his commanding officer.
 “This doctor is crazy, what about his Hippocratic Oath?” The soldier asked. The man with the scar shook his head.
 “Ah this may be a doctor, and an Oath he may have, but it is not that one. This fish is a fighter as well, and the Leader for the Shivans wants him alive. Yes. Keep him busy shoot at him, but do not hit him. If he is bleeding when we capture him you will die.” The soldier swallowed and nodded, the soldier motioned to his comrades and they all sprang up firing at Extinguisher’s hiding place. The man with the scar pulled himself across the ground, he sprang up and rushed around some of the beds. Extinguisher pushed his gun up and fired into space, the soldiers jumped down, and the man with the scar hit the ground. He pulled himself along the floor silently, quietly. He made his way to where Extinguisher was hiding.
 Extinguisher pulled himself up and fired into one of the beds. The man with the scar hurried forward, he stood behind extinguisher. “Hello Doctor, we’re going for a little ride.” Extinguisher spun around, the man with the scar hit Extinguisher with the but of his gun. Extinguisher fell to the floor; a trickle of blood escaped his mouth. “Lieutenant.” The man with the scar yelled.
 “Sir?” The soldier asked.
 “There’s blood on this man.” The man with the scar aimed and fired. The soldier fell backwards and struck the ground, hard, the sound of his armour falling against the steal plated floor rung throughout the deck. “Too bad, really.” He picked up extinguisher and they walked out of the room. Extinguisher regained slight consciousness. He tried to walk. “Don’t try anything.” The man with the scar said quietly.
 “What do you want with me?”
 “We’re going to see a friend, yes.” The man with the scar nodded. They could hear bullets being fired in the corridor. The man with the scar raised his weapon and fired, suddenly everything went dead. “Attention loyal GTVA soldiers, I have your Doctor, if even one of my men is killed I will kill this Doctor, do I make myself clear.” Extinguisher could hear someone yell ‘cease fire’ off in the distance, he thought it was Kate, but his ears were ringing. He blacked out.

 Kate and Dove looked around the corner, Dove swore as he checked his gun. Kate ejected an empty cartridge and reloaded. “What are we doing?” Dove asked, Kate looked around, she motioned to a few guards.
 “Come with me, Dove, come on.” They started away. “The rest of you don’t fire.” She said sharply. They pulled themselves around a corridor and into the face of a service crawly. “Open it.” She said to one of the soldiers. The soldier tossed his gun to one of his comrades, and typed in the access code. Kate pulled herself inside and Dove followed, they quickly moved down the cramped service crawl way. And then reached the end. Kate kicked motioned for the soldier, he pulled himself towards the door, and Kate pulled back. The soldier typed in the code.
 “Push here to release.” Kate nodded, the soldier moved back. Kate motioned to Dove, the man nodded. She hit the button and the door swung open. They burst out just to see the NTF officers jump into their ship. “Freeze!” she yelled. Dove saw the man with the scar.
 “Sirus…” He muttered slowly. Sirus saluted and the door to the shuttle closed, it closed as if it were a flower pulling itself in for the night. Just before it closed Sirus threw a pad out the door, it feel down the corridor, and wedged itself it the wall.
 “We’re going to need a way to close that hole!” Kate yelled. One of the guards pointed.
 “Too late!” The craft pulled away, the inky void of space began to pull them out. Kate drew her sword and shoved it into the crawl space, wedging it in.
 “Hold on!” Dove grabbed at the wall, as the two soldiers hung unto Kate. Kate’s gun fell across the deck and spun out into space. Suddenly the vacuum was gone; they were all pulled to the ground with a terrible clang. The door of a new shuttle filled the void that had been space. The door slowly opened and Ridow stepped out.
 “Miss me?” Kate shook her head. “What’d I miss?” Dove still had that last word written on his lips. Dove stood, he walked down the hallway, checking, looking for something. After a while he found it, the small pad. He red it over, and then, tossing the pad down, he stepped on it, losing everything that was ever on it. There had been nothing else on it; Dove knew that, because he recognised the pad as his own. Kate walked up behind him.
 “Who is Sirus?”  She asked softly. Dove looked up, and then walked away.
 

 David’s forehead pulsed; he looked over the command staff of his ship. “Sir, we tracked the NTF ship to a small base on Luyten 726-BA.” One of the officers said. David nodded slowly. He knew they had to go after them, there was no time to wait for Dimitry or Dravus.
 “Send a message to the Aristogoth and the Danton, tell them we’re going to Luyten 726-BA.” Everyone nodded. Dove hid in the background, he stood, thinking only of the past, of what he had done, and who he had been. He was a different man before he met Samuel Morrison, but he no longer believed that his reformation had been caused merle by that single man, but now he believed that his revolution was his own, and his own choice. A choice from deep inside himself, deep inside his heart full of hatred for a people he had never known, there had been a ray of light, and most importantly hopes.
 

 A single planet in the Luyten 726-BA system spun slowly in space. The plant was almost exactly like Mars. The planet was brown, and there was a slight atmosphere, enough to support life, but not enough to produce a major civilisation. The planet was hot, no animal life existed here, and the few cacti like plants that doted the ocean of sand and rock. Richtoven stood on a platform waiting quietly. He had a black uniform on, it was in the classic style of the NTF, it’s black colour, red trim, and gold buttons stood out strong. He had a thick black trenchcoat around his shoulders; its collar reached high on the evil man. The coat danced around Richtoven’s feet with the wind. He saw the small transport appear out of nowhere and float slowly down to the landing pad. The door opened, and the gangplank extended. Sirus walked down the gangplank; he had Extinguisher in his hands. Guards followed the two men; they all wore breather masks. Extinguisher and Sirus stopped short of Richtoven. Richtoven smiled.
 “Hello again Extinguisher, it has been a while.” Extinguisher wasn’t pleased to see the man.
 “Not long enough.” Extinguisher pushed. Richtoven smile grew. He reached over and pulled Extinguishers mask off. The man fell to the ground and clutched his throat. He breathed hard, trying to draw the air into his lungs; there wasn’t enough to breathe properly without exposure. The amount of Oxygen was about as much as at the top at mount Everest, and Extinguisher could feel that.
 “Like the Air?” Richtoven asked harshly. He bent his knees and came down next to Extinguisher, holding his hands together. “You’ll get used to it.” Richtoven said. Extinguisher tried to speak.
 “You… you are not the Leader… the Leader…” He couldn’t make it, he breathed in hard again, trying to replenish his lungs. Richtoven laughed slowly. He bent in close to Extinguishers ear, he whispered softly, so that no one else would hear.
 “I know.” Richtoven laughed quietly to himself. Extinguisher’s eyes didn’t change. Richtoven stood. “Take him, I want to talk to him later.” Sirus motioned to the guards; they picked Extinguisher up and pulled him to the airlock.
 “I saw Dove.” Sirus said. Richtoven nodded.
 “He is of no matter, in due course, when his false Leader is destroyed, he will join us.” Sirus nodded and walked into the airlock with his guards. Richtoven Laughed, a laugh you could hear across the universe. And the man in the black coat smiled.

    To be continued…
 

Leader for the Shivans 3: Journey from Dunwitch hill
Will continue with:

Episode XVI:
Off into the distance we march