Operation Diablo

Part III

Chapter 1

	“Alright,” Jason said, breaking the long silence. “Everyone know the plan?”  They were just about ten minutes away from the point where they’d drop out of hyperspace above the moon of Verdun.  If all went according to plan, they would land on the moon, and slowly make their way to the prison facility, keeping an eye out for traps and security systems in the forest.  They had all the necessary gear to knockout security systems and detect sensors.  The hardest part of the mission would be getting into the facility and finding their way around. They had some datapads that could download the entire map of the facility, and mark their destination, whatever cell the president was being kept in.
	“Beck, I want you on the cloak controls. As soon as we drop out, that red light should come on. When it does, hit this.” Jason pointed to the light and a switch on the newly installed cloak controls. 
	“Got it.”
	“And, three, two, one…” He pulled back on a lever, disengaging the hyperdrive. The star lines shrunk back to the size of pinpricks. A second passed, two seconds, and the indicator light came on. Dave promptly hit the switch, and a hum filled the vessel. Nothing looked different inside, but the gauges on the cloak panel told them they were fully cloaked. “Good, we should be clear now,” Jason said, taking a look at the sensors. They dropped out twenty thousand kilometers away from the moon, and although there were a few pirate ships in the area, none of them seemed to detect the small Guild shuttle.
	“Too easy,” came a voice from the back. Ryan was sitting in his seat, relaxed. 
	“We knew this would be the easy part,” Dave replied. “Don’t get cocky.”
	“Why are we only at half throttle?” Rob asked, changing the subject.
	“It’s called caution,” Jason replied, a hint of irritation in his voice.
	They had reached the atmosphere without any problems. “Entering the atmosphere now,” Dave said as the craft began shaking a bit. An orange glow surrounded the border of the viewscreen, and that swiftly faded as they continued on. “Cloak seems to be holding.”
	Jason put the shuttle into a gradual dive and leveled off, keeping it a safe distance from the treetops. Soon after, an object appeared on the radar screen. “There’s the facility.”
	“Good,” Dave said, rubbing his hands together. “We’ll land in the front lawn, break down a door, shoot some pirates maybe, get our president, and get out. Easy.”
	Jason grinned. “Yeah, you wish. It’s going to be a long walk. Remember, we might be invisible, but we still make a lot of noise when we land.”
	“So how far away are we landing?”
	“Two kilometers.”
	“Great.”
	The facility was now visible on the horizon. The sun was already setting, and the huge guard towers and fortress had a bright orange glow around their sharp edges. A few windows dotted the walls of the building, and just visible on the roof were turrets and spotlights. Those would be scanning the entire perimeter during the night, and it was during the night that they would have to attempt the break-in. Jason eased up on the throttle as a clearing came into view ahead. A quick tech scan confirmed that there weren’t any sensors or traps in place. He engaged the repulsor-lifts, and set the shuttle down softly. It was a good feeling making a manual landing again. He flipped a few switches and made sure the lights on the control panel stayed lit. “Rob,” Jason said as he checked the cloak status one last time. 
	“Sir?”
	“You’re staying with the shuttle.”
	“What? Why?”
	“I need someone to watch this, cycle it on and off to keep it from draining too much power, you know.”
	“But, this was my—“
	“Chance for experience?” Jason cut him off. “Listen,” he said quietly. “If something happens to one of us, someone has to fly this thing out of here. That someone is you,” he patted Rob on the back. “And we might need a quick pickup, so stay on the comm.”
	Rob let out a sigh. “Fine,” he said, sitting back.
	“Good man,” Jason got up, grabbed his pack and went to join the others.	
	They each had a small backpack, and each one of those had a different piece of equipment. Everyone had a good blaster, ZX-90 class, and most importantly a light-weight blaster-rifle, which would prove invaluable if they ended up in a heavy firefight.  That wasn’t the idea of course; they were going to try to do this as quietly as possible. “Alright, let’s move out.” Jason hit a button on the remote and the door of the shuttle closed, leaving a clear view of the trees behind the ship. He turned and lead the group into the forest, not sure what kind of dangers lay between them and the prison.
	
Jason held up his hand, signaling a full stop.  The scanner had picked up something.  It was faint, and only there for a couple of seconds, but it was definitely some kind of technology, which meant it had to be some sort of trap set in place in case any prisoners escaped. “What is it?” Dave asked. He was standing just behind him, the second person in the single file line that they were traveling in. 
	“I don’t know; it was only there for a second.”
	“Just a glitch probably.”
	“Maybe; we’ll keep going.”
	They kept walking, but they had only gone another ten meters when the signal returned. “It’s moving,” Jason said, astonished. “Coming towards us too.” He pulled his blaster out of its holster and looked up from the handheld screen. There wasn’t much visibility now that the sun was going down, and the thick canopies of the trees blocked out almost all light. He looked at the screen again; it had to be about twenty meters ahead. Everyone else had their rifles ready. Ten meters, now five. There was a rustle in the bush ahead. A set of eyes gleamed in the darknes. A shadow darted out at them and took a leap at the first person it saw, reaching out with its claws. A shot rang out, and there was a heavy thud as it hit the ground at Jason’s feet. He kept the barrel pointed at it as the rest of the group came around to investigate. The creature resembled a dog, but that wasn’t any way to describe it. About seven feet long, it had a somewhat light fur coat. It’s head alone was about two feet long, held upright on a thick neck. A bristle-like mane lead up to pointed ears. It had four glassy eyes, only two of which were open. A series of horns stuck straight up going down the length of the snout, the longest being at the tip. Jason nudged the head with his foot to see where his shot hit, and to make sure the thing was dead.
	“Nice shot,” Greg said, bending down to get a closer look. “Damn, this thing’s ugly.”
	“Found the tech reading,” said Ryan, pulling off the beast’s collar. “Looks like some sort of tracking device.”
	Jason took the collar to get a closer look. “Yeah, well this animal definitely isn’t domestic. Must be imported; it’s the best way to get an escaped prisoner. Who needs a fence and traps when you can use something like this.” He dropped the collar on the ground, and motioned for the group to continue on.
	After a half hour of walking, night had set in, and the party was perfectly camouflaged under a large leafy plant. There was a grassy clearing in front of them, its well-kept lawn broken only by a mound of dirt and steel pylons rising from it. They were just outside the facility, and luckily, the wall that would surround it and add an extra layer of protection was still under construction, as were a lot of the things one would expect to see in a high security place like this. The mound, which seemed to circle almost the entire prison, would serve as the base of the wall. It was just short enough to see over, so Jason and the rest of the group darted across the small lawn and ducked behind its cover. Jason pulled his night vision binoculars out of his pack and peeked over to get a better look at the situation. A massive set of doors had just slid open and five pirates were starting to push out some heavy equipment. Jason ducked down as one of the pirates looked their way. For the time being, they seemed to just be bringing equipment out of the garage. “This is our entrance,” Jason whispered to the others. “I see five from here; we have to take them out quietly.”
	“How ‘bout this?” Ryan said. He rummaged through his pack, and found what he was looking for, a small gas grenade. Jason nodded. The grenade clicked as Ryan pulled the pin. The garage was about ten yards away, and his throw was right on. The grenade landed just inside. A few seconds passed before the gas started spewing out. There were a few shouts from the pirates, but those were quickly silenced. Jason waited for the gas to clear before giving the signal. Swiftly climbing over the barrier in front of them, they ran through the wide open doors. They were in.

Chapter 2

	Jason nodded. “One, two, three!” He stepped around the corner and brought the butt of his rifle down hard into the back of a pirate’s head. Ryan did the same with the other, and both fell down without a sound. Greg came through to scope out the room ahead, and finally Dave came with his rifle slung over his shoulder, and the map scanner in one hand.
	“Looks like there should be an elevator up ahead; el presidente’s cell is still four floors up. You think it’s safe to use the turbolift?”
	“Probably not,” Jason replied. “Where are the stairs?”
	Dave touched the screen to move the field of vision. “Straight ahead, right at the elevator.”
	They advanced slowly, checking each corner as they went. There seemed to be a general lack of personnel in this place, since most pirates were out at the front lines fighting the war. Then again, as they got closer to the holding cells chances are security would tighten up. They reached the turbolift and turned right. The door to the stairs had a keypad lock, but a few quick scans and they had the combination. The door slid open, and on the other side…
	At least ten pirates were sitting on the floor and steps. A few were passed out on the floor, empty bottles lying next to them. There was an immediate clamor as the conscious ones rushed to pick up their weapons. 
“Retreat?”
“Good idea.”
The group sprinted back to the last corner they had rounded. Dave took up a spot there, while Jason found some cover in the frame of the turbolift doors. Greg and Ryan found similar places and they all switched on their rifles as laser fire scorched the walls around them. A few pirates tried to rush up the hall but they were gunned by a few shots from the blaster rifles. The remaining pirates were forced to fight from the doorway. Shots flew in all directions, punching holes in the walls and ceiling. “So much for a quiet entrance,” Jason muttered, pulling the pin on a grenade. He threw it straight through the doorway, and the resulting explosion launched chunks of debris into the hallway. It silenced the fire from that end, which was a good sign. Jason gave the sign, and they moved forward carefully, stepping over the bodies and avoiding the flames that were still burning in the corners. They kept their guns raised as the entered the doorway and climbed the stairs. The blinking red light on one panel confirmed that the place was in a silent lockdown. The rest of the operation wouldn’t be easy. 
They reached the fourth floor, and scanned the keypad lock. “Says there is no combination.”
“The door’s shut down,” Jason confirmed. 
“Well we don’t have to worry about stealth now,” Greg said, pulling an explosive out of his pack. He slapped it against the door to engage the magnetic lock, and typed in some numbers on a keypad. “Fifteen seconds, take cover!” They all moved down to the next landing and waited as the time ticked away. The bomb easily blew the door out, and the group moved to the newly formed opening where they were met by a barrage of lasers. Ryan tossed a grenade into the fray, and the explosion was enough of a distraction to give them an opportunity to move out into the hallway. There they dove for any cover they could, and looked for the right moments to take their shots. Luckily they weren’t being flanked on the left, where there was a hall lined with holding cells that led to a dead end. Ahead of them, between them and the president’s cell, was a whole squadron of pirate marines. 

Helson ran out of his quarters, a blaster in hand. There was a rumor going around that some kind of Commerce Guild task force had infiltrated the base. How they did it, no one knew. Although the main wall was under construction, there was a complex grid of laser sensors running around the entire perimeter of the facility. These were sometimes deactivated in sections where construction was taking place at the wall; yeah, that must have been how they got through. Even so, it wasn’t the only layer of defense. The long range radar should’ve picked up any ships entering the area, and there were anti-aircraft guns mounted in several clearings throughout the forest. The short of it was this: no one should’ve been able to get in. Just as no one should be able to get out.
He rounded a corner and ended up behind the line of pirate marines. They had a barricade built up, but the Guild soldiers had pushed them back quite a bit from where the fight first broke out. Helson turned around at the sound of footsteps. The backup had arrived. “Follow me,” he said as he walked through the line. The squad obediently followed him down the hall to the north stairs. Punching in some codes, they hurried down to the lower floor, and across to the south stairs. As they quietly made their way up, the noise from the firefight above grew louder and louder, until finally Helson found himself standing at what used to be the fifth floor access doorway. He peered around the corner to survey the situation. “This’ll wake them up,” he said to the closest marine, before taking careful aim at the back of the one Guild soldier’s head. He turned around and saw him at the last second, but it was too late. Helson squeezed the trigger, and the soldier fell to the ground immediately, silencing the fire from both sides.

Jason looked to the ground.. The mission had gone terribly wrong. One man, Greg Hamel, wouldn’t be making the trip back. Without even really thinking about what he was doing, Jason laid his weapons on the ground, and without a word the others followed his lead. They were instructed to place their hands on the backs of their heads, and after getting every piece of essential gear taken away they were each led to their respective holding cells. Jason stopped he was passing the ruined access to the stairs. He glanced at the pirate who was standing there, the one who had shot his friend, but as he looked into that cold, battle-scarred face, he saw someone he knew, a face from the past. The pirate returned the quizzical look, but only for a second. “Jason Starwind.”
Now Jason knew who he was talking to; he knew this man, but that didn’t make him feel any better about the bleak situation. “Jim Larson?” Larson was one of the many smuggling partners Jason had during his career of illegal activity, and now here he was, a pirate. Jason thought back to the battle over Palanthar, to the fighter who’s flying style he recognized, from somewhere. Sure, it seemed like a coincidence back then, but not now.   
To Jason, the mere mention of this name seemed to bring back all the pain Larson went through during that era. Jason could see it in his disposition, but he didn’t know quite what his old partner was thinking of. When he spoke it was with an air of total calmness. “I go by a different name now. Ever since you left me there, in the dead of space.” 
Jason remembered now. In that split-second, he recalled everything that had happened that day. “I thought… you were…” but before he could say anymore, he saw a fist, and the last thing he felt before he blacked out was the cold floor.

Chapter 3

	The two small freighters struggled to find an opening for a jump to lightspeed. NTA cruisers lined the Earth’s orbit, and a squadron of fighters were in hot pursuit. Jason’s ship rumbled as a few shots glanced off its shields. They passed by the group of cruisers, taking some more fire. Jason glanced at the control panel; the shields were holding fast. He spoke into the comm. “Jim, everything alright back there?”
	“Shields are critical, but I’m alright.” His partner breathed a sigh of relief. “Looks like we made it.” They had finally broken into open space. But the peace didn’t last long; three long-range fighters jumped in from hyperspace. Jason took out the first with a few shots from the freighter’s laser cannons, but the other two broke through, pummeling Jim’s ship in one pass. The shields buckled. The back of the ship took one more hit before it blew out, launching the broken front end into a spiral before it also erupted into flames. Jason never looked back; there was no way anyone would survive that. He engaged the hyperdrive and the freighter jumped to lightspeed. 

	Jason woke up, still feeling a bit dizzy. He could feel the bruise throbbing near his left eye, and he touched it to see how bad the swelling was. “No mirror,” he said to no one in particular as he glanced around the room, still lying on his back. “Why’s the ceiling so high?”
	“You’re laying on the floor,” said a voice behind him.
	Jason jumped to his feet and stumbled before he ended up falling onto a solid metal platform. This was supposed to be the bed, he guessed. He sat up to face the visitor. “Right, who the hell are you?”
	“The name’s Ference, Pete Ference. I’m getting you out of here.”
	Jason couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Getting me out?”
	“Yeah, let’s go.”
	“Wait, how do I know you’re not a pirate?”
	“Would a pirate bring this?” Ference pulled a small cart into the room and slid the door open on the side. Inside was all the gear and weapons they had brought with them.
	“Right,” Jason said, getting up to grab his weapons and pack. “And the others?”
	“We’ll get them on the way out.”
	“And Van Buroon?”
	“Him too, you’re all on the same floor after all.”
	“Good, let’s go.”
	Closing the cell behind them, Jason grabbed the cart. They rounded the nearest corner and found themselves in another block of cells, but there was one thing Jason couldn’t figure out. “Where are all the guards?”
	Pete glanced at him; a grin lined his face. He almost seemed proud “Don’t worry, this time of night they’re not on duty, at least, not on this floor. Security systems and sensors are supposed to detect movement through the halls.”
	“And why aren’t they?”
	“Simple, I deactivated them.”
	“And how do you have the access codes for something like that?”
	Pete ran his fingers through his short brown hair, looking for a simple way to explain everything that was going on. “Alright, I designed the security systems for this place. It used to be a Federation research facility, but when the pirates occupied this sector, they decided to turn this into a base of operations. It’s small, well hidden, a secret location, well, used to be.” He paused, glanced at the keypad for the one door, and then continued on. “That’s how I ended up here, we couldn’t evacuate quick enough. Some us escaped in cruisers, others in shuttles, myself and a few others, we grabbed the nearest fighters and tried to escape with those.”
	“You didn’t make it.”
	“I didn’t, my friends did.” He let out a dry laugh. “I guess my piloting skills aren’t the best.”
	“So what stopped them from vaporizing you right there?”
	“I surrendered, they brought me in for questioning, I told them about my position on the research team. They needed an engineer to do some of the work around here. They’re pirates after all; they can’t rig up security systems and modify fighters on their own.”
	“I see. So this is your big chance to make an escape,” Jason said
	“Yep,” said Pete shortly. “Ah, here we are.” They had reached the first cell. “I have an override code for every one of these doors,” he said, punching the numbers on the keypad. Dave Beckley happily took his weapons and gear, but complained about the lack of a cruddy prison meal. They then moved on the Ryan’s holding cell. He seemed surprised as they opened the door, and a bit angry, since he had wasted a good bit of time and energy trying to hotwire the thing from inside. They moved on to the end of the hall, where Guild president John Van Buroon was being held. No special treatment here. He was being kept in the same old cramped cell as everyone else.
	Pete routinely typed in the code and the door slid open. Jason entered, and without any warning a slab of metal came down on his head and he was knocked to the ground again. A bad day had just gotten worse. Jason rolled over to find the Guild president looking down at him with a sort of curious look on his face. He was an older man, with a short gray beard and a thick mustache of the same hue. Jason could see his keen eyes through the pair of rimless glasses that were resting on his nose. Surprisingly he was still well-dressed, with a dark gray suit and matching cloak hung over his shoulders. “You’re not a pirate,” he said slowly. He had an accent similar to that of the Scottish back on earth.
	“Thanks for the reminder,” Jason said sarcastically as he got up, rubbing the top of his head. Van Buroon quickly apologized, saying “After all the questioning, I figured the next man to walk in here was going to get a good lump on the head.”
	“Well, let’s get out of here then, get you back at headquarters where you belong.” They stashed the cart in the cell, and Jason handed the only remaining set of gear, Greg’s things, to Pete. They headed down the hall to the stairs. Again Pete put in the proper codes and the door to the stairs opened. It was all clear inside, but after hearing voices further down, they had no choice but to head up. The facility was made up of thirty levels, and there were four staircases in all, plus the turbolifts. They reached the sixth level and decided to try to cross the building to another set of stairs. Pete opened the door again, giving room for Jason and Ryan to get in for a look around. All clear. They carefully moved into the hall, and they were halfway through when they heard the sound of booted feet running their way. “Damn, marines.”
	Jason brought his rifle up to target the first man rounding the corner up ahead. He waited for a few more to follow before taking out the marine with one shot. Ryan and Dave mowed down a few more before the rest took defensive positions and started firing back. They weren’t expecting an attack, not on this floor at least. A few minutes into the firefight, shots started coming from the direction they came from as well. They were cornered again. Pete fired a few shots back at the new squadron of marines, but missed. “Give me that gun,” Van Buroon said, snatching it out of the engineer’s hand. He fired two shots, and two pirates fell. “I think I’ll keep it if you don’t mind.” Pete was too stunned to argue.
	They were tucked into doorways and alcoves for cover, but the pirates had brought in makeshift barriers and were now slowly pushing their way through the hall. Jason had dove for cover and realized that he was at the door to the elevator. Since he didn’t see any other options he punched the button and motioned for the others to follow him. They piled in and the door closed behind them. “Now what?” Dave asked. 
	“Any ideas, Pete?” Jason turned to look at the engineer.
	“Nope.”
	“Well we can’t go down.” Van Buroon chimed in. “That’s what they’ll be expecting.”
	“You’re right; up to the roof then,” Jason said, hitting the corresponding button on the panel. He pulled a comlink out of his pocket and turned it on. “Rob, you there?”
	“Yeah, I’m here,” came Whitney’s voice. “What happened? I was getting worried.”
	“Long story; we need you on the roof as soon as possible.”
	“I’ll be there.”
	The lift stopped abruptly, but a few codes from Pete and they were on their way up again. They reached the roof and filed out of the lift. It was relatively unguarded, but up here, one could appreciate how big this place really was. There were spaces for ten medium sized ships to land. A large, round generator took up some space in the middle of the roof, and there was an outlet for each staircase and turblolift. Lining the edges were spotlights and turrets, though none of them were manned. A few pirates were walking around, but with the humming  noise that filled the air, no one noticed the turbolift door opening, and the group ran over to sit by the generator without any resistance. Jason looked to the sky, and was surprised to see that it was early morning. All they could do now was wait. 
	But it looked like things wouldn’t be that easy. One of the staircase doors in front of them slid open and pirate marines came running out. A group from the turbolift joined them and another squadron came around from behind the generator. They all stopped, forming a semi-circle ten yards away from Jason and the others, their guns raised. One pirate stepped in front of the line of marines, and Jason recognized him right away this time. “So much for your escape… old friend,” Larson sneered.
But just then, there was a rumbling noise. It grew closer and closer, until they could feel the vibrations under their feet. A blur came down in between them and the pirates, who then open fired. Their lasers seemed to diminish in midair as the shields of the cloaked shuttle absorbed them. A door slid open, hovering there in midair. Pete Ference went in first. Ryan and Dave gave Van Buroon a quick boost before they also climbed in. Jason climbed in last, getting a final look at Larson, who had an amused look on his face, even in defeat. Jason was in, the door closed behind him, and the shuttle shot into the air. 

The comm. unit inside the shuttle turned on, and the face of Admiral Kranson came on screen. “Mission accomplished I hope.”
“I’m right here,” Van Buroon answered.
“Welcome back, sir,” Kranson said with a smile. “We’re bringing ships into the system now, so decloak for us once we’re in.”
Rob was flying now, and they entered space to find half the Commerce Guild fleet dropping out of hyperspace near the planet. They decloaked, locked in the autopilot, and the shuttle flew to the hangar of the nearest ship, the Blue Dawn. It was only inside that they felt safe for the first time since they left Palanthar. The shuttle landed with a soft clunk, and Admiral Kranson was ready to greet them when the doors opened. Van Buroon stepped out and took a look around the hangar. “First time I’ve been inside one of these things.”
“Well welcome aboard. If there’s anything you need…”
“Some scotch maybe.”
“Er, sure.”
A voice came over the intercom. “Admiral to the bridge, enemy ships entering the system.” The message repeated. 
“So the fun begins. Nice job, everyone,” Kranson said, turning to Jason and the others as they came down the shuttle ramp. “You’re off of fighter duty of course; try to relax.”
“I’m taking a Skylon,” Jason replied.
“Why? You’ve done enough already.”
“I have to meet somone.”
Kranson looked at him thoughtfully. “Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll talk to control, suit up and I’ll get you a fighter.” With that, he walked away, hurrying to the bridge where he’d take up communications from there. The battle was about to begin.

A group of fighters made the assent from the moon below. Nine Harrowers and a single Cutlass shot into space to join the raging battle. The Cutlass, that’s what Jason was looking for. He pushed his fighter into a steep dive, leveling out just behind the target. He fired a few shots, but the Cutlass skillfully evaded them, as if he had perfectly anticipated the move. Static filled Jason’s headset, communications with his squadron were cut off, and in its place came the sound of Jim Larson’s voice. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
“How are you on this channel?”
“Comm. patch, one of the benefits of being an elite pilot for the Pirate Empire, and having an elite fighter.”
“Do you seriously think it’s going to be an empire for long?.” A maniacal laugh rang from the other end before the Cutlass dove under the nearest Ventor Frigate. Jason accelerated to follow, trying to get a target lock. The battle raged around them, and Jason caught the site of a battered Nova taking a dive towards the planet, the flames intensifying as it entered the atmosphere. The Harrowers had split off from Larson’s Cutlass, by his order. Some Vipers swooped in to follow, but Jason never saw what happened after that. The chase was on, and they were deep into the field of ships in a matter of seconds. Jason cut a hard right to follow the Cutlass, which then looped over the nearest Farstrike and continued on towards the cruiser battle ahead. Getting a lock for a split second, he fired off two missiles. They followed their target perfectly until the Cutlass went into a corkscrew to avoid a passing Sparrowhawk. The larger pirate fighter took both hits, erupting into flames, while the Cutlass continued on. The modified pirate fighter was more agile than Jason’s Skylon, but he was able to stick to its tail with some quick reflexes. He glanced at the readout scolling across the navigation screen. It registered over 6,000 Commerce Guild cruisers, while the pirate force registered about the same. As far as fighters, the Guild was outnumbering the pirates two to one. The surprise attack worked; a small force was all the pirates could spare to jump into the system, and it was the Commerce Guild who had the upper hand this time around. 

The turrets of the Blue Dawn went into a rapid-fire mode, previously untested in combat. Kranson smiled as the FREEM blasts ripped through the nearest squadron of Farstrikes. “Send those settings to every Nova in the fleet,” he said, a smile breaking across his face. The battle had gone on now for almost four hours, but the day was theirs’. Pirate cruisers exploded left and right, while the Guild fighters chased down the speedy Cutlasses and Harrowers. 

Helson watched as the Skylon ahead jumped and veered to avoid his shots. For the better part of this battle, he had been stuck in front of the Skylon, evading all the fire he could, but still getting the occasional hit on the shields. With some clever braking he was able to get behind Jason, and now was his chance to take him out, to get his revenge. Memories rushed into his head, memories of the NTA, how they had found the cockpit section of his freighter intact, with him inside, how they had, without a trial, thrown him into a prison for ten years. Ten years of his life, in one of the harshest galactic prisons ever built. He squeezed the trigger, releasing a pair of his own missiles. They were halfway between the two fighters when a flash of firing missiles came from the back of the Skylon. They met Helson’s with a blinding flash of light, just as he pounded the throttle lever to full, almost flying blind through the cloud.

Jason fired the rear missile pair to take out the ones rocketing towards his main engine. He cut the throttle, seeing an opportunity to once again get behind the Cutlass while the explosion blinded his pursuer for a few seconds. He glanced at the radar to find the Cutlass coming up fast. It was two late. Metal on metal, like the sound of a hovercar crash amplified ten times. He could feel the left side gun of the Cutlass penetrate the back of his Skylon, just missing the right engine, but punching a hole that cut off all power to that side. He glanced to his right to see the nose of the Cutlass and smoke billowing from both fighters. He guessed it looked even worse further back. They were locked together, spinning out of control. The lights in the cockpit shut off, and the steering cut out as all systems began to shut down. All Jason could see was quick glimpses of the battle, the moon below, the stars all around him. It didn’t take long before he was completely disoriented. His vision was just a blur of colors. He closed his eyes, feeling his head spinning, and opened them just in time to see a Nova Assault Cruiser’s nose closing in on them. It passed by just as they were about to hit, and the next thing he saw was the bright light of the hangar. His hearing seemed to be unusually sensitive. They struck the floor with the agonizing sound of grinding metal. The Cutlass broke free of Jason’s Skylon, which hurtled onward. It bounced off the side wall, spun around a few times and then stopped dead against the back wall of the hangar. Miraculously, Jason was still alive. In a complete daze, he unbuckled his restraints and pulled off his helmet. He punched the button a few times to open the canopy, before he remembered there was no power. Somehow he managed to pull the manual release and climb out of the fighter, which was basically scrap metal now. He jumped down to the hanger floor and fell to his knees. His vision was still spinning as he looked around, and found the Cutlass about thirty yards away. The entire front was crushed; it must have hit the back wall head on. Medics rushed to Jason with a stretcher to carry him to sickbay. A few seconds passed, one of the engine pods on the Cutlass shot out a spark, and the fighter exploded in a brilliant burst of flame, throwing a torrent of debris all over the hangar. And so ended the life of Jim Larson, ‘Diablo’ Helson, the elite pilot for the Pirate Empire.

Epilogue

	Jason walked along the crowded hallways on the way to the president’s office. He had just come from a ceremony in the main auditorium, honoring those who had died in the recent battle. Among them was Greg Hamel, and others that Jason knew from being a pilot here for so long. He walked slowly, trying not to agitate his three cracked ribs.  His ‘lucky’ landing in the hangar of the Blue Dawn had left him pretty battered and bruised. He would definitely need a break after all this.
	He reached Van Buroon’s office. His secretary looked up at him, before speaking into the comm. unit. “Jason Starwind to see you, sir,” she said in a business-like tone. “Show him in,” was the immediate answer. The large, exotic double doors opened inward. They appeared to be made of wood, but Jason guessed they were much more solid than that. He casually walked through, not noticing the doors quietly closing behind him. Van Buroon was sitting behind his desk, bent over some paperwork. He looked up when Jason walked forward. “Ah, Jason,” he said. “I can call you Jason, right?” he added quickly.
	“Er, sure.”
	“Take a seat.” Jason sat down in one of the comfortable chairs in front of the desk.
	Van Buroon continued. “I have a proposition for you. How would you like a somewhat…” he paused. “…less dangerous job?”
	“I don’t do desk jobs,” Jason replied.
	“Oh, well it’s not exactly a desk job.”
	“What is it then?”
	“I want you to act as an ambassador for the Commerce Guild.”
	“But I still want to pilot,” Jason responded firmly.
	“Of course, you still can,” Van Buroon said quickly. “This would just be a bit of a side-job, when I feel there’s an important meeting you should attend somewhere. Look at it as a vacation, a chance to get out and see new systems. You can go to Earth, the Kalenian Nebula, the Outer Colonies. Eat fine food, meet new women—
	“Alright, alright,” Jason cut him off. “You can stop there; I get the idea.”
	“So you’ll do it then?”
	Jason sighed, hoping he wouldn’t regret this. “Yeah, I’ll do it. Is that all you wanted to see me about?” he asked, standing up. He felt like leaving.
	“One more thing,” Van Buroon said calmly. “About your payment.”
	“Payment for what?”
	Van Buroon chuckled. “For saving my life.”
	“Oh, that. What about it?”
	“Cash or check?”
	Jason looked at him and smiled. “I’m sure the guys will accept cash.”
	“What about you?”
	Jason paused for a few seconds. “Keep it.” He turned and left the office before Van Buroon could argue. A grin lined his face as he walked away. Maybe he’d meet up with some people, go get lunch, talk. Just like any other day. But now, more than ever, he felt like he had a home on Palanthar, at the Interstellar Commerce Guild.

End

Operation Diablo
by Justin Long  (Taurithod, JLQ)

Credit goes to the following:
Brendan, Red Baron, for the information used to get this project off the ground.
Isaak, IXI, for some much needed inspiration along the way.
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