Chapter 2. Scythe


    "Capt. Graccus, there is incoming coms. from Senator Galba."


    "Put him through."


    "Greetings Galba."


    "Greetings Lucian."


    "Aenides can you feed vision to Galba."


    "What is it that I''m looking at Lucian?"


    "A memorial ceremony for Capt. Loomis being held in the


    ship''s landing bay."


    "Shouldn''t you be down there with them?"


    "I wasn''t invited."


    "How awkward." Galba said.


    "Apparently there is some lingering ill feeling amongst the crew


    about how I treated their former Captain, prior to his untimely


    death."


    Galba shook his head. "Leadership can be such a thankless task."


    The ship''s engineer finished his eulogy and asked if anyone


    would like to speak. A young medical officer stepped forward, but


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    before he had a chance to talk, warning lights in the landing bay


    began to flash.


    "It could just be a glitch ." the engineer said. "I''ll go and check."


    The medic looked around nervously and was about to continue


    when he was interrupted by the sound of alarm sirens.


    "Evacuate the bay." the Engineer yelled. " Aenides, code Red."


    Galba laughed as he watched the crew run to the elevators, and


    find them disabled and locked. The crew spread out searching


    for the entry doors to the lower levels, and found them locked as well.


    "Aenides, code Red." the Engineer yelled. "Respond."


    "I can not." Aenides said over the ship''s speakers. "Capt. Graccus


    has overwritten my protocols."


    The outer pressure doors of the landing bay started to open.


    The air inside hissed and groaned as it started to empty into the


    vacuum of space.


    "You''re killing us, you bastard."


    "Yes I am." Lucian said.


    *


    As Lucian steered a shuttle clear of the ship, he asked Aenides


    to confirm the co-ordinates that Galba had sent him.


    "There''s nothing there but empty space Capt.Graccus."


    Lucian re-checked the shuttle''s control settings. There was enough


    fuel to make it out and back with a good margin if something wasn''t


    right.


    "Stand down Aenides, and go dark until I return."


    *


    Fifty kilometres before reaching the coordinate position, Lucian


    slowed the shuttle - then came to a complete stop two kilometres


    out. The navigational system still showed nothing ahead.


    Lucian opened a coms channel. "And where may I ask are you Galba?"


    The shuttle''s control panel indicated the ship was being externally


    scanned. Galba''s face appeared on the screen.


    "Patience Lucian."


    "I still have no idea where you are."


    "There is a good reason for that." Galba said.


    A glowing orb appeared before the shuttle. It split into three


    points of light that began to spin in a flat circular pattern.


    Lucian recognised it as a gateway.


    "Come through slowly." Galba said.


    The gateway closed as soon as Lucian steered the shuttle through it.


    Dwarfed, the shuttle now floated alongside a modified battle cruiser.


    The Aenides was nothing more than a decoy that could be manoeuvred


    remotely. Lucian nodded his head in appreciation at how much fire power


    Galba had so stealthily brought in behind it.


    "What is it you''re expecting to find out here brother?"


    A tractor beam locked onto Lucian''s shuttle and drew it towards


    the Galba''s ship.


    *