"Target acquired," Touk announced. They’d been chasing the ship for the last ten hours through a pocket of the nebulae. Hide and seek in thick dust and radiation fields was a stressful game to play.
Tayvis brought the ship into his sights. It sat at a full stop. No fancy tricks, no last minute weapons fire, nothing; not what he expected.
"On my command," Darus Venn, the Gunnery Commander, said over the com, "fire to disable if possible."
"Acknowledged." Tayvis lined up the ship in his sights then waited, his finger over the firing button.
"That’s strange," Mryah said on his other side. She and Touk were his spotters, sorting through scans to locate and mark targets.
"What?" Tayvis asked.
"The ship comes up as a registered trader. I'm not picking up any weapons. Shielding reads as standard navigation shields only."
"It’s supposed to be a smuggler," Lorien the runner for their team, said. "Good cover, having a real ship id."
Mryah shook her head. "The beacon checks out."
"Fire when ready," Darus’ voice came from the com.
"What’s the name of the ship?" Tayvis asked Mryah.
"Phoenix Rising," Mryah said, squinting at her screen.
Tayvis hit the lock button, shutting down the weapons. "Hold your fire," he said into the com to the other three gunnery teams.
The com crackled. "Are you countermanding my orders, Ensign?" Despite a rough start, Darus and Tayvis got along quite well in the two months since Darus was assigned CO for the gun batteries on the Avenger.
"I don’t think you have all the pertinent information, sir," Tayvis said. "I want your personal authorization to fire on that ship."
Darus hurried down the narrow corridor to the portside gun station. He crowded past Lorien. "Well?"
"What’s the delay, Commander Venn?" It was Captain Suweya on the com asking this time.
Darus leaned over Tayvis to speak into the com. "I’m checking on that, sir."
"It’s Dace’s ship," Tayvis said.
"You sure about that?" Darus leaned close to the targeting computer, Mryah’s station, to check the readout. "What in blazes is she doing mixed up in this?" He straightened. "Hold your fire, all gunnery teams, repeat, hold your fire!"
"Did I just hear you correctly, Commander Venn?" The captain did not sound pleased.
"Sir, permission to come to the bridge and explain."
"You’d better, Commander."
"Lock your station, Tayvis," Darus ordered. "You’re coming with me." He looked at the merchant ship hanging in the targeting sights of the Patrol cruiser. "What’s she playing at this time?"
Tayvis had his station locked in record time then followed Darus. The two of them hurried through the ship to the bridge.
"Bet you fifty credits that Lowell’s behind this," Darus said.
"That’s not a bet," Tayvis countered, "that’s a certainty."
"Keep your mouth shut when we get up there," Darus instructed as they approached the bridge. "Let me do the talking."
Tayvis didn’t dignify that with any sort of answer.
The door to the bridge slid open. Captain Suweya gave Darus a dark look then switched his attention to Tayvis. "Ensign Tayvis, you refused a direct order. The customary response to that is to space the mutineer. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t toss you out an airlock right now."
"Because that ship isn’t the smuggler you think," Tayvis said. "It’s a merchant ship. And I’m sure the crew’s been framed."
"Commander Venn?" The captain turned to Darus. "You countermanded my order. Why?"
"Because Ensign Tayvis is right, sir. We’ve been led on a fool’s chase."
The captain studied both of them for a long time. His eyes, a brown so dark it looked black, were cold and hard. "I’ll give you one more chance to explain."
"That ship, Phoenix Rising," Darus said, "belongs to my daughter and two very good friends of mine. None of them would get mixed up in smuggling. There’s more to this than you think, Captain."
The captain looked wordlessly at Tayvis.
"I’ve known Dace for a couple of years, sir," Tayvis said. "I’ve worked with her before under unusual circumstances. She’s a sleeper agent for the Patrol." He mentally crossed his fingers and hoped the price Lowell would demand for backing up that statement wouldn’t be too high.
"An undercover agent for the Patrol." The captain wasn’t buying his explanation.
"She’s deep undercover, sir."
Darus covered a snort, pretending it was a cough.
"The ship is hailing us, sir," the communications officer interrupted.
"Put it on the main viewscreen," Captain Suweya ordered.
Dace’s face filled the screen. She looked cool, composed, almost arrogant, but she had stress lines around her eyes.
"Captain Suweya, of the Avenger," she said. "A pleasure to speak with you."
"I very much doubt that," Captain Suweya answered. "You are hereby under arrest. You will remain at full stop and allow us access to your airlock. You will be boarded and placed in confinement aboard my ship."
"I can’t allow that, Captain," she said. "You will instead cease and desist from harassing us in the performance of our rightful occupation."
"You’re smuggling drugs, illegal weapons, and counterfeit currency," Captain Suweya countered. "You will allow us to board your ship."
"Captain, please, it’s getting annoying listening to you. I see you have some of your crew with you." Her gaze passed over Darus and settled on Tayvis. "Ensign Tayvis, what a pleasant surprise. Just like old times, isn’t it, you chasing me across the Empire. Hopefully the end game turns out better this time." She stopped suddenly, switching topics. Tayvis wasn’t sure but he thought he saw a flicker of pain on her face. "Enough chatting, Captain. You will allow us to leave. Immediately."
"Or what, Captain Dace?" Suweya asked. "Your ship has been outmaneuvered. You have no weapons. Surrender or suffer the consequences."
"I’m afraid the consequences will be yours, Captain Suweya. You force my hand." She looked down at something unseen, as if she were reading a paper. "You have exactly ten days to collect five million credits, in small denominations of course, and meet me at these coordinates." She read off the numbers. "If you aren’t there or arrive without the money, something awful will happen. Think of the worst possible action I could take. It’s worse than that. Since I know you’ve recorded this, I won’t repeat myself. Good-bye, Captain Suweya. Give my regards to your brother, Tayvis," she added, then signed off.
"Commander Venn, report back to your station or be relieved of duty," Suweya ordered. "I want that ship disabled or destroyed."
"I don’t think you want to do that." Darus pointed at the scanning station. Three huge shapes emerged from the dust of the nebulae. Captain Suweya’s face paled.
"They’re arming all weapons, sir," the scan tech informed him. "They outgun us five to one."
The small trading ship they’d been chasing accelerated, curving away from them, headed for open space.
"They aren’t going to shoot us, if we don’t do something stupid," Darus said. "We’re their messenger."
Captain Suweya gave Darus and the ships a considering look. "Shields up, and stand down from weapons."
The three large ships, bristling with weapons, slid past, picking up speed. The Patrol cruiser was left helpless to stop its prey from escaping.
"Play the message back again," Tayvis said to the communications officer.
"Ensign Tayvis, you overstep your authority," Suweya said sharply. "Whoever that was, she’s a pirate. Her message was clear enough."
"She’s a hostage, I’m positive of that," Tayvis insisted. "Play it. There’s a hint buried in there somewhere."
The communications officer looked at the Captain for confirmation.
"Security," Captain Suweya said, "arrest Ensign Tayvis for insubordination and mutiny."
"You don’t want to do that," Darus said.
The security guards, friends of Tayvis, hesitated. Tayvis ignored them, reaching past the communications officer to access the controls. Dace’s face again filled the viewscreen. Tayvis watched the message replay, his face intent.
Captain Suweya held up his hand, signaling to the security officers to wait. "What is going on here?" Suweya asked Darus.
"Tayvis used to work undercover," Darus answered. "He does know Dace better than just about anyone else."
"That’s Dace?" Suweya asked, nodding at the face on the viewscreen. "Your daughter?"
"Something else, isn’t she," Darus agreed.
"She almost became dust," Suweya said. "Ensign Tayvis, my patience is gone. You will cease and desist immediately. Helmsman, lay in a course to follow those ships."
"You don’t need to." Tayvis tapped the controls. Dace’s face disappeared from the viewscreen. "I know where they’re going."
Suweya signaled the security guards. "You are confined to quarters until this is sorted out."
"I don’t think so, captain," Tayvis answered. "You follow those ships and they will destroy you. They’ll find themselves another message boy."
"I did not ask for your advice, Ensign!"
Tayvis hoped he lived long enough to regret his decision. Lowell would be overjoyed when he heard, though. "The rank is Sector Commander in the Enforcers. If you wish to remain in command of this ship, you will cooperate with me."
"You are delusional, unfit for duty."
Tayvis held out his left wrist, showing the intricate diamond tattoo on the inside of his arm.
"I read your record, Ensign," the Captain said. "Dismissed from the Enforcers for dereliction of duty, among other things. Dismissed in disgrace from Planetary Survey. I took you on my crew as a favor to an old friend. Don’t make me regret doing so."
Tayvis flexed his wrist. The tattoo was overlaid by a glowing golden symbol.
Suweya paled when he saw it. "The ship is under your command, sir. I apologize for my behavior."
"Don’t worry about it," Tayvis said. "If you’d believed me without proof, you wouldn’t be in command of the ship."
"Your orders, Sector Commander?" Suweya stood stiffly at attention.
"Do you want relieved of duty, Captain?" Tayvis asked.
"No, sir."
"Then as you were." Tayvis knew Lowell would hand him his rank back. As soon as he talked to him. He hoped Dace would understand. "Set a course for Viya Station."
"Viya is out of the sector," Suweya said.
"Then you have two choices, Captain. You can either set the course and let me take the responsibility, or you can set course for the closest Patrol base where I will find a captain who will."
"One question, Commander," Suweya said, staring Tayvis in the eye. "Whose authority are you acting under?"
"Grant Lowell."
Suweya stepped back a pace. "Set course for Viya Station," he told the navigator.
"Sir, we will have to stop for refueling."
"Then do it at whatever Patrol base is along the course." Suweya turned back to Tayvis. "This is highly irregular."
"Most of what I do anymore is," Tayvis said.
"Why Viya?"
"The last time I was chasing her in a Patrol cruiser that’s where we ended up. I really doubt she meant Landruss."
"You do this often?" Darus asked. "Chase her across the Empire?"
Tayvis frowned. "I don’t understand what she meant by giving her regards to my brother. I don’t know why she ignored Darus."
Darus shifted at the mention of his name. "She was being deliberate about it."
"What did she mean, Darus?" Tayvis asked.
"You’re more likely to figure it out than I am," Darus said.
"Either way, sir," Suweya said to Tayvis, "we don’t have any suitable accommodations available for you."
"Forget it, Captain," Tayvis said. "I’ll just trade cabins with Commander Venn."
Darus gave him a dirty look.
"Very good, sir." Suweya settled back in his chair as the ship came about and headed on a new vector, picking up speed as it headed for the jump point. "I will ask you to please vacate my bridge. You’re making my crew nervous."
"Sir." Tayvis left the bridge, Darus trailing at his heels.
Tayvis knew Suweya would ask for confirmation of his rank as soon as they reached a Patrol base. Tayvis would have to act faster in making contact with Lowell’s agent. The code to reactivate his status was simple enough. All he needed to do was send Lowell the message, "Agreement accepted."
And it would start all over again. But at least he’d have a chance of getting Dace out of whatever mess she was in this time. It looked to be a deep one.