Lord
Roeder's Mine is a prequel to my Lone Wolf Series. Matilda's father,
Ed Dulac, is stationed on a planet named Solaris, where he loses his
wife and two daughters. He becomes a Trimagnite miner, and one of his
assignments is the infamous Lord Roeder's Mine.
"Gun
it," Tarvo ordered.
The
pilot slapped his controls and the ship leaped forward, knocking most
of its personnel on their rear ends. The interstice snapped shut
behind them, taking with it a portion of their rear sensor array.
"What
the hell just happened?" Ed called from Medical. "I just
landed on my ass, Wayne. What are you playing at?"
"Stubborn
interstice, Dulac. Deal with it." He clicked off and made an all
ship bulletin apologizing for the inconvenience. "What went
wrong?" He asked his bridge crew.
Lieutenant
Garrow on navigation answered. "I'm still running an analysis,
Captain. So far, nothing is showing up. I'm also running diagnostics
of the interstice and my console, sir."
"Tell
me when it's done."
"Yes,
sir."
"Hail
Committee Home Base," he told the communications officer.
"Yes,
Captain," Lane Halapay replied. "They are demanding a
command code, sir."
"What?
Have they gone completely out of their minds? Since when do I...?"
He stopped talking when a large and angry reptilian face filled his
screen.
"A
little warning would have been nice, Lieutenant," Wayne muttered
to Halapay.
"They
did it without asking, sir."
"Who
am I talking to?" Tarvo asked abruptly. "You've got some
nerve to override my comunit like that."
"What
is your Guild command code?"
"I
don't give that out to anyone. You'd know that if you worked around
here."
"Name
and rank."
"That
ain't exactly your business either. I'm contacting Committee Home
Base."
"And
I am replying."
"Well,
I guess we're at an impasse, buddy."
"I
believe that the security ships off your port bow have now shifted
the balance." The screen flickered to show three gun ships off
port.
"Who
the hell are you?"
"Grff
Sslick, Acting Security Chief for Committee Home Base."
"You
new at your job?"
"Why
do you ask?"
"You
never taught manners back in the swamp?" Wayne recognized Sslick
as a member of the reptilian species from a swampy planet called
Viotempe. "I got Guild business here. More to the point, I got
business with Dr. Savolopis. Now, you either clear me to do that
peacefully, or you're going to find yourself in a bind."
"We
have superior weapons."
"Maybe
so, but I got mining lasers. You ever seen what one of them can do to
a spaceship? It ain't pretty."
"I
demand you identify...."
"And
I demand you follow protocol. I don't have time for this shit. I'm
completing my mission as ordered. If your ships fire on me, you're
gonna have Emmelia Spenser on you so fast, you'll piss your britches.
Blackmore," he said to the pilot.
"Yes,
sir."
"Get
me down there, boy."
"Yes,
Captain."
"Sheehan."
"Sir?"
"Get
those lasers on line."
"Yes,
sir."
"You
cut down anything that tries to get in our way."
"You
got it, sir."
"Sslick,
you got ten seconds to get outta my way. Ten, nine...."
The
three gun ships moved back, but flanked the Guild vessel as it made
its descent to the gigantic asteroid that was Committee Home Base.
Tarvo's
private comunit on his chair flickered. He glanced at it.
"Dad,
what's going on? The entire base is on alert."
"Some
dickhead who thinks he knows what he's doing."
"Who?"
"Some
lizard."
"Oh,
him! Give me a minute. I think I can clear this up." The
screen flickered off.
Moments
later, another face appeared. This was the Base Command Station.
"Wayne
Tarvo, are you who's causing all this trouble?"
"Ben
Drexel, thank God! Who's that turtle brained idiot who thinks he's in
charge?"
"Last
minute replacement for the Security Chief. The other one met with an
accident. We're looking for a permanent replacement. I'm not sure
where he came from, but he's got bilge for brains."
The
gun ships tipped their wings respectfully and flew off.
"Thank
you. First the damn interstice wouldn't open, then that bozo came on
demanding my command codes."
"He
had security locked the gate from this side. I'm not even sure how he
did it. I didn't give the order. Give a lizard a little power, he
suddenly thinks he's in charge."
"I'd
throw the fucker in the brig."
Ben
grinned. "I've got you on my scope now. Your nav should have the
orbit coordinates."
"Aye,
sir," Garrow said clearly. "Locking in now, sir."
"Thank
God for the Marines," Tarvo said with a dry chuckle.
©
2018 Dellani Oakes
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