Officer Palin
Though the merchantman his ship had captured put up something of a struggle, her captain eventually saw reason’s light and provided the cargo he carried in exchange for the lives of his crew. Just as Theta told Caldor’s magistrate, he preferred to end encounters without the need for bloodshed and was willing to negotiate so long as his basic demands were met.
“Take her out, Captain?” His First, Pruck, asked as the Deltarra’s power spooled up to full strength. “The Bri’lan Cluster, perhaps?”
Theta shook his head. “Core worlds. We’ve had slim pickings for a while now and I want the men to see real reward for their effort.”
“You’re sure, Captain?” Pruck’s tone was hushed. He’d learned the value in speaking his mind on the Deltarra; unlike other pirate captains, Theta valued the opinions of his subordinates.
“Yes,” he said quickly. “I won’t be steering back toward Caldor any time soon, but that doesn’t mean we have to avoid all of the hot spots.” Though he’d been cleared of any wrongdoing thanks to his heritage, further aggravating the Caldorran authorities was a recipe for disaster.
“Aye aye, Captain.” The First knew when to hold his ground and when to back down – anything involving profit meant Theta would not change his mind.
A few moments and they were away, lightspeed drive throwing the ship forward into a distorted bubble of space-time. Theta had never taken the time to study the drive’s mechanics but made sure he always had the latest version running in his engine room. Escaping authorities was just as important as the initial approach to a target vessel, and speed often made the difference between a massive payday and possible prison time.
He smiled as the viewscreen blurred and his stomach spun in a familiar, sickening lurch. The Core worlds were ripe for plucking.
***
Five days and they’d already taken eight ships, all with cargo bays stuffed full of legal goods and hiding places stuffed with things no so legal. The Deltarra’s entire crew would see a substantial take once they made port, something that kept them happy and loyal.
“Captain!” The Comm officer’s voice broke through Theta’s self-congratulatory thoughts.
“Yes, Flinn?” He asked slowly. “What is it?”
“There’s a ship hailing us, sir – Caldorran!”
Theta sat up in his chair, glancing up at the viewscreen and coming fully alert. They were a long way from Caldorran space, and there was no reason any of the Union’s ships should be anywhere near his, let alone hailing it.
“Answer it, Flinn – let’s see what our Union friends want.”
It took him a few minutes to place the wavering image that appeared on the screen, and even a fine-tuning of the rez bandwidth had little effect. Muscular and unshaven, the man staring across black space had a sour look on his face and a clenched jaw. He did not speak as the channel firmed.
Keeping silence close also appealed to Theta, and he allowed himself to simply watch and wait, letting his mind trail over those he had befriended and angered in years past.
“I told you it wasn’t over, Zane,” the man finally grated, each word seemingly dragged out of him by force. “I’ve lost everything because of you, and now it’s time for you to pay.”
“I’m sorry –“ Theta began, but cut off as memories surged. “Palin!” He said with a broad smile. “I’m surprised they let you out of prison.” The last he’d seen of the officer was the larger man being bodily forced from a courtroom to face justice for his contempt. Judge Rita had been quite unhappy with his attempt to interrupt legal proceedings, and Theta expected the authorities to come down quite hard on their rogue enforcer.
“They didn’t,” Palin sneered. “I wasn’t about to be held thanks to a mockery of justice – one that you perpetrated, Zane!”
“Took you rather a long time to break out, don’t you think, Palin?” Theta replied with a smirk. “I’ve been out tooling around the galaxy for the last two years, and I haven’t heard a thing from you. I’d expect someone so hell-bent on my destruction could do better.”
Gloating served no real purpose but he didn’t care; the officer had decided to make an issue out of something beyond his control, and Theta wasn’t about to dignify it by admitting any kind of equality, any form of parity.
“Oh I’ve been busy, Zane, working hard to make sure that once I found you there would be no getting away.” Palin raised both arms and gestured at the cramped cabin surrounding him. “Do you like my little ship? It’s not much to look at, but I’ve packed it full of Thermio and it’s ready to blow on my command.”
“Flinn!” Theta bellowed. “Cut the channel! Pruck – hard to port!” Thermio had a reputation for destroying small moons – while the Deltarra was well-equipped, there was no way it could take that kind of punishment.
The viewscreen resolved to a more distant view, one quickly obscured by Palin’s speeding ship. It was too fast, too small – there was no way to avoid what was coming.
Theta jammed down the emergency call button. “All hands!” He screamed. “Abandon ship!” Even as words burst from his mouth the ship shuddered and began to scream, it’s Opsteel coating torn open by igniting Thermio. He was on his feet and herding crewmen out the escape door when the bridge lights went and the ship listed hard to starboard, throwing him to the deck.
Lights flashed and klaxons sounded, but he was trapped - his body wouldn’t respond though his mind urged it. A final look at the viewscreen showed a small green planet looming ever-larger as gravity caught the crippled Deltarra and pulled it down.
A less than stellar end for the notorious Theta Zane; one fitting perhaps, for Palin.
- D
