The two of them stood there in the barren crater, the light of the distant sun casting long shadows around them.

“What do you think will happen to us?” asked Debra over the suit radio. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

Will was quiet for a moment. “I doubt Grandle wants a public trial so it’d likely be a court martial.” He looked over at her. “I’m sure a guilty verdict has already been decided.”

The two of them just stood there waiting in silence. They didn’t have to wait long as they soon saw something glinting in the dim sunlight near the horizon. As it drew nearer there was no doubt it was a spacecraft.

“Looks like a long range shuttle,” guessed Will. “Must have slipped into the system while all the attention was on the other ship.”

“Do you think they’ll keep their end of the bargain?”

“I don’t see what they would gain by not keeping it, but with Grandle you never know.”

In a few minutes the shuttle reached them and slowly descended to the crater floor about a hundred feet away from Will and Debra. Once the dust kicked up by the landing settled, the door of the shuttle opened. Two figures in spacesuits holding blasters stepped outside and began walking towards Will and Debra.

“Let’s go,” said Will, raising his hands and walking towards them. Debra did the same. The two soldiers from the shuttle stopped as Will and Debra reached them and gestured with their blasters for them to continue towards the shuttle. The soldiers walked behind them.

One of the soldiers stepped ahead of them as they neared the shuttle and signaled Will and Debra to stop. The soldier grabbed Debra’s shoulder and guided her into the open doorway which slid shut behind them. In a few minutes, the doorway opened again and the remaining soldier shoved their blaster into Will’s back. He got the message and stepped into the doorway, followed by the soldier.

Once inside, the door slammed shut and the sound of air filling the chamber could be heard. Soon a green light flashed and the interior door of the airlock opened. Stepping inside, Will saw a large open area, likely some sort of cargo compartment. It was empty except for a few crates and there were doors at either end. On one of the crates sat two space helmets.

Debra stood by the crate, he hands by her side, a female soldier behind her. Will slowly lowered his hands and removed his helmet and held it by his side. The soldier who’d escorted him in removed his helmet and placed it on a nearby crate. Will was surprised to see it was the same man who’d been with Gwen when they’d rescued her on Methinal.

“You’re name’s not really Will is it?” he asked handing him his helmet.

“No, it’s Henry, sir,” he answered as he placed Will’s helmet by his. He gestured with his blaster for Will to move to the opposite side of the room from Debra.

“So how’s Gwen doing?” he asked.

He didn’t have time to answer as a female voice came from behind them. “I’d be doing much better if it wasn’t for the two of you.”

There was the sound of footstep before Gwen passed between them. She was wearing her usual white blouse and blue skirt. When she was about five feet past them, she turned around and stared at the two of them.

“Has the ship turned away from Celentus?” demanded Will harshly.

“Yes, just as we promised,” answered Gwen.

“You wouldn’t mind proving that, would you?” he shot back.

Gwen shook her head. “You used to trust me,” she said in a sweet voice.

“We all mistakes,” replied Will bitterly.

She glared at him for a moment before retrieving a tablet from her pocket. “Here’s our sensor readings of the region,” she said, the sweetness gone. She walked over and showed him the tablet. He saw a ship which had to be Commander Stelia’s moving away from the moon. Further away was a much larger ship in the process of changing course away from Celentus.

“Satisfied?”

Will gave a nod. “Now tell me, since when did Earth start adopting Trelentian tactics? They go against everything Earth stands for.”

Gwen shook her head and laughed. “Always the idealist, Will. For too long Earth’s been on the defensive. Well it’s time for a change. It’s time for Earth to be so powerful that no one would dare attack it.”

“Even if that means threatening to destroy an innocent world?” countered Will furiously.

“You know your problem, Will?” explained Gwen in a calm voice. You’re just too predictable. Celentus was never in any danger because we knew you’d give yourself up to save it.” She paused and smiled. “Plus, it provided us an opportunity to test the vehicle and seeing it survive a head on impact was quite exciting.”

“Not exactly the word I’d use,” muttered Will darkly.

Gwen turned to face Debra. “Will was rather remiss for not properly introducing us on Methinal.”

“Well, there was a lot going on at the time,” answered Debra in a brusque tone.

“True,” agreed Gwen. “Fortunately, the Ormecrans were kind enough to identify you for us, Miss Corlander.” Gwen looked over at Will. “Quite frankly, I found it very surprising that Will would associate with someone guilty of desertion.”

“Perhaps you don’t know Will as well as you thought,” observed Debra, doing her best to control her temper.”

“You may be right,” answered Gwen as she began walking back towards the door behind them. “Lock them up,” she called to the two soldiers.

“Move it,” said the female soldier as Will and Debra were herded to the other door. When it opened, they were quickly pushed inside. It was a windowless room about ten feet wide and fifteen feet long. Two bunks were mounted to the two side walls and at the back of the room was a bathroom behind a partition.

As the door closed behind them, Debra grabbed Will. “What are we going to do?”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

He looked at her and then gestured with his eyes to a point above the door. She cast a furtive glance there and saw a small device mounted to the wall. She gave a small nod. “There’s nothing we can do right now,” he said in what he hoped was a defeated voice. “We might as well get some rest while we can.”

“Okay,” answered Debra as she got into one of the beds and Will into the other. They could feel the ship starting to vibrate as the engines roared to life and it lifted off from the moon.

----------------------------------------

Admiral Zelen sat at the table in the command center breathing a sigh of relief as the tactical display showed the Earth frigate turning away from Celentus. However, he couldn’t relax as there much that still needed to be done.

“Admiral Zelen to the Freth,” he radioed.

“This is the Freth.”

“You and the rest of the attack fleet stay at the edge of sensor range of the Earth vessel and let me know the second it drops its shields. Do not approach it until I order you to.”

“Understood, Admiral. Freth out.”

“How can you be certain the Earth ship will drop its shields?” wondered King Raphul.

“It’s more an educated guess really,” replied the Admiral. “The Earth ship’s shields use a lot of power. So they have to push the reactors powering the shields harder than they normally would. Running them like that for too long could cause the reactors to fail. So, I’m guessing they’ll shutdown the shields as soon as they feel it’s safe to do so.”

The King nodded. “Sound logic. However, I do wonder if you should have let Captain Power know what you were planning?”

The Admiral shook his head. “No, he’d never have gone along with it. It’s better that we kept him in the dark.”

The radio came to life. “Commander Stelia to Admiral Zelen.”

“Go ahead, Commander.”

“A ship has just left the surface and is on a course out of the system.”

“Are you receiving the signal from the location transponders we put in the spacesuits?”

“Loud and clear, Admiral.”

“Good. As soon as they’re out of sensor range, use the signal to follow them.”

“Acknowledged, Stelia out.”

The Admiral looked over at the King. “I just hope this works.”

----------------------------------------

Will had quickly fallen asleep, but Debra just lay there staring at the ceiling. She knew they’d done the right thing, but also knew that there was only one sentence for desertion. She looked over at Will and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him sleeping so soundly. She did her best to follow suit, but failed.

There was a sudden whoosh and the sound of footsteps as the door opened and Gwen stepped inside. At the sound, Will was instantly awake. “Wait outside,” she ordered the female soldier who was with her.

Will and Debra sat up. “What do you want?” he demanded gruffly.

Gwen sighed. “I never wanted it to be like this, Will. You’ve saved my life more times that I can count.” She looked down. “I think I can work out a deal with President Grandle. In return for a full confession, he’ll recommend a sentence of life on a suitable planet where the two of you can live in peace and comfort.”

Will looked over at Debra. “How’s that sound to you?”

She thought for a moment. “It sounds like she’s not telling us everything.”

“I have to agree.” He lay down and put his hands behind his head. “I’m sure whatever kangaroo court you’ve got lined up will find us guilty so why the need for a confession?”

Gwen threw her hands up. “Hey, I’m just trying to help you for old time’s sake,” she cried. “If you two would rather be executed as traitors, that’s fine by me.” She pounded on the door and when it opened, she stormed out.

“She’ll be back,” said Will as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

----------------------------------------

Admiral Zelen, King Raphul, and the rest of his military staff anxiously sat around the table waiting to hear from the Freth. It’d now been over two hours since the Earth ship had headed away from Celentus.

“Freth to Admiral Zelen. Shields are down and the ship has increased its speed.”

The Admiral excitedly activated the radio. “Acknowledged. Maintain pursuit until you receive further orders.”

“Understood. Freth out.”

The Admiral took a deep breath and looked over at the King. “Shall we proceed, your Majesty?”

“Yes, Admiral,” answered the King without hesitation. “Implement your plan.”

“Admiral Zelen to Commander Stelia, come in commander,” he radioed.

“This is Commander Stelia. Go ahead Admiral.”

“The ship’s shields are down. Move on the ship carrying Captain Power and Debra. Jam their radio and disable it.”

“Yes, Admiral. I’ll be out of radio contact while the jammer is active. I should be in jamming range within three minutes.”

“We’ll begin the attack in five minutes,” answered the Admiral. “Good luck, commander.”

Commander Stelia activated her shields turned on the radio jamming unit which had been installed on her ship. Throwing the control stick forward, she was pushed back into her seat as her ship accelerated towards the shuttle.

The Admiral anxiously watched the clock slowly tick off five minutes. As it passed he activated the radio. “Admiral Zelen to the attack fleet. Move in and destroy the Earth vessel.”

A short distance outside the Celentus system, the five ships of the Celentus fleet accelerated towards the Earth vessel. As soon as they were in range, they began firing on its engines. Without its shields, the blaster fire soon left the engines a smoldering mess and the ship dead in space.

The ships continued firing and the exterior of the Earth ship was soon covered in blast marks and its skin had been breached. The firing continued until the blaster fire hit one of the ship’s reactors. The Earth ship exploded in a blinding flash of light sending burning chunks of metal outward in every direction. The shields of the Celentus ships sparked as the debris hit them, but they suffered no damage.

“Freth to Admiral Zelen. Target destroyed.”

Cheers erupted in the command center, but the Admiral merely acknowledged the news. It was now up to Commander Stelia to rescue Captain Power and Debra.

----------------------------------------

Gwen stormed into the control cabin and sat down. “How long until we rendezvous with the cruiser?” she snapped.

“An hour and a half,” answered Henry. He looked down at the panel. “I’m showing a ship on an intercept course,” he reported in a tense voice. He pressed a button and a dull green field enveloped the shuttle.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Will,” she muttered angrily. “Reactivate the frigate’s shields and send it back to Celentus.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Henry answered and started typing. However, he got no response to his commands. Flipping some switches, he stared at the control panel and looked over at Gwen. “We’ve lost contact with the ship. They’re jamming our signal.”

“Can we outrun the ship pursuing us?” asked Gwen while chewing her knuckle.

“No.”

She sat there in silence for several minutes, leaning her head on her hand. Finally she got up. “Keep us away from them,” she said as she left the cabin.

Gwen angrily walked through the cargo area and gestured for the female soldier to follow. Will and Debra sat up as the door to the room opened. They knew something was up since they could feel the ship swerving erratically. Gwen stepped inside followed by the soldier who was holding her blaster. Gwen glared at Will.

“You’re not getting away this time,” she fumed.

Will and Debra looked at one another, confusion on their faces.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about?” shot back Will.

“Nice try,” she replied, “but it’s not going to work.”

Gwen gestured at Debra. “Bring her,” she ordered the soldier.

“What are you going to do with her?” shouted Will jumping to his feet. The soldier fired her blaster hitting him square in the chest and he fell backward onto the bed.

“Will!” cried Debra as she started towards him, but the soldier stepped in front of her and pointed the blaster at her.

“Don’t worry, Miss Corlander,” said Gwen quickly. “He’ll be fine and so will you. Now come with us.”

Debra looked over at Will and was relieved to see him breathing. She followed Gwen out of the room with the soldier holding the blaster to her back.

“Put on your helmet,” ordered Gwen.

“First tell me what’s going on,” demanded Debra.

“We’ve decided to let you go,” she explained.

“What about Will?”

“He comes with us. Now put on the helmet,” she ordered again.

“Not without Will,” said Debra defiantly.

“Very well,” replied Gwen. She nodded to the soldier. There was a flash of light and Debra slumped to the floor.

“Attach the helmet to her suit and place her in the airlock,” ordered Gwen as she went over to the intercom. “Status.”

“They’re nearly in weapons range. Won’t be able to keep away from them much longer.”

“Bring the ship to a stop and drop shields,” she commanded. “Be ready to move off at maximum speed when I tell you.”

“Full stop and shields down,” confirmed Henry less than a minute later.

Once the soldier had put Debra in the airlock and closed the door, Gwen walked over. After overriding the airlock depressurization sequence she pulled the exterior door lever. The door opened and Debra shot out of the airlock, her unconscious body tumbling through space as the shuttle accelerated away.