"Here we are." Lee announced as he pulled up to
the rear of a battered class one assault shuttle.
Varla Riss eyed the shuttle with a critical eye, an amused
smile working its way to her face, despite herself. Its battered sides were
covered with scorch marks and there were a couple of large dents in the troop
ramp. Despite its banged up appearance, the twin energy cannons protruding from
the well worn blisters on either side of the command cabin appeared to be in
good repair and there was no doubt in Riss' mind as to their lethality. Lee
touched his scancomm and the troop ramp lowered smoothly from its belly. With a
blip of the fan controls, he deftly slid the truck into the troop bay.
"Just leave your gear in the truck." Lee said, as
they exited the passenger cab. "It will be unloaded when we get to
Pandar."
She nodded without comment as she climbed out of the cab and
watched Lee latch the truck to the troop deck. She shivered unconsciously as
she glanced around the scarred interior. Memories of comrades lost and battles
fought came flooding back as she followed Lee up the short ladder, emerging on the
assault shuttle’s crowded command deck, sweeping the cockpit with a
well-practiced gaze. Operating on memory and instinct, she climbed onto the
raised platform behind the pilot, between the gunner positions, and dropped
into the command chair, strapping in. Hearing a chuckle, she looked up to see
Lee grinning at her from the pilot position.
“Sorry..,” Her voice trailed off, her face flush with
embarrassment. She flashed him a quick smile. “Old habits…” Her voice trailed
off.
“No problem, Captain Riss.” Lee replied with a grin, as he
donned his headset. “It’s a nice ride and you will have a better view up there
anyway.”
Varla Riss absently nodded, settling into the commander’s
heavily padded chair as the memories continued to flood her consciousness.
Konnr’s people were good; he always made sure they were properly briefed. And
Lee was Royal Pride. He had known
her since the war, when she attempted – unsuccesfully – to recruit Konnr and
his crew for Bani Dermand’s Great Takeover.
She watched as Lee ran through the pilot’s preflight
checklist, the sound of the shuttle’s auxiliary power unit spooling up with its
familiar whine. She reached towards the commander’s console and paused, her
fingers poised tentatively over the switches and selectors until she finally
gave in to her memories and quickly powered up the station. Her hands moved
with long mastered familiarity over the console as she brought her station to
life. With a practiced motion she pushed the hood of her cloak back and slipped
the headset into place.
“APU running.” Lee said over the command net, with a glance
in her direction. “Main turbines coming on line.”
“Roger that!” Riss said with an unsupressed grin as the
whine of the APU was lost in the twin growl of the powerful turbines.
“Tower, Kondor Seven.” Lee said as he bumped the throttles
forward. “Coming out of the barn.”
The main turbines growled in response as Lee eased the big
assault shuttle out of the hanger, polarized windscreens around them darkened
as they emerged into the bright sunlight. Clear of the building, the shuttle’s
sensors came alive, filling her console with contacts and information about
their movement. She scanned them quickly, then returned her attention to the
activity outside the shuttle.
The shuttle pad was busy, several smaller civilian shuttles
were being serviced before they were moved to loading facilities, where they
would load the anxious hunters for their flights to the lodges. Scattered over
the spaceport were a number of smaller transports loading cargo or being
serviced. Spacers and workers alike paused to watch the large military assault
shuttle, with its ominous cannons and battered armored hull as Lee idled the
craft towards the shuttle launch pad.
“Busy day.” She said over the intercom as she glanced out
of the large viewports at the activity around them. In her ears, the comm
channels buzzed with a steady stream of traffic moving back and forth to the huge
starliners and transports orbiting overhead.
The orbiting starships operated on tight turnaround
schedules and would not remain overhead any longer than necessary to deliver
their passengers and cargo. Although it added to the confusion, the shuttles
transporting arriving passengers to Pondalor, returned with departing
passengers for the return trip. The departing passengers were usually routed to
one or more of the starship’s lounges where they were fed and entertained until
their quarters were ready. Despite the frantic pace, it reduced the cycle time
by at least two days.
“Yeah, always is these days.” Lee agreed. “But we have a
priority call sign, so we should not have any problems.”
“Kondor Seven ready to lift.” He called over the comm
channel, as he eased the big shuttle onto the launch pad.
“Kondor Seven,” The tower controller’s voice came back
almost immediately over the command net. “You are clear to lift, sir.”
“Mustn’t keep the boss and his lieutenants waiting…” Riss
murmured over the intercom..
“Kondor Seven, roger.” Lee replied as he pushed the
throttles forward.
“Or his favorite spy,” Lee replied glancing back at Riss,
who shot him another thumbs up. “Ready to lift… Commander.”
“Roger, pilot.” She replied with a big smile. “Proceed with
launch.”
The growl of the twin turbines grew to a roar as the
shuttle’s engines came up to power. Despite her own best efforts, Varla Riss
felt the adrenaline rushing through her, Bowder Lee’s laughter filling her
headphones as he lifted the shuttle into a hover over the pad. Within a final
check around, he hauled back on the controls, lifting the shuttle into a rapid
climb. As they cleared the field, he pushed the throttles to full military
power and banked the shuttle into a long sweeping turn to port, circling over
the spaceport.
As always, thanks for reading!
Dave
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