the Cag holding its own and beating one of those big war ships, but against two or three?” He left the question hanging pregnant in the air.
“You think that’s what happened?” Ariel asked.
“See the scarring along the hull?
She nodded in the affirmative, her face stern.
“The Cag was in a battle , and a prolonged one too, against several ships. Are you getting any life signs?” Mark turned and asked Red.
“Looking now. Doing a scan. Nothing so far, also no power anywhere on the ship it’s completely out.”
By now the Stargrazer had slowed out of hyper-warp and slowly pulled up near the much larger ship.
“She doesn’t appear damaged, M ark, not badly at any rate, just powerless.”
“When we first battled that war ship as we were heading to the sand planet, they hit us with something that drained our power and energy stores. Multiple hits of that from multiple ships would have drained her dry.”
“We have to get inside.” Red growled.
“What’s going on?”
Everyone turned to find Danny standing in the doorway, rubbing his head dry with a towel. Then he stopped as he saw the view screen and cursed almost silently.
Dan slid into his chair and Mark returned navigation control to him. “Line up our belly hatch with the side of the Cag right there.” He pointed at a spot as Dan slowly guided the smaller ship up to the side of the much larger one. The Stargrazer turned sideways and floated in, securely bumping into the side of the Cagliostro.
“Magnetic locks activated.” Dan called out.
Mark was out of his seat in an instant and walking towards the center of the small spacecraft. Then he changed his footing to the wall of the ship standing on it and activating the irising portal that was on the floor of the Stargrazer.
The portal irise d open and revealed the blank wall, which was actually a hatch on the outer hull of the Cagliostro. Mark picked up a heavy cable from a supply outlet on the Stargrazer and began to attach it to a mating port on the side of the door on the Cagliostro. Dan walked over and joined Mark. He took the heavy cable from Mark’s hands and finished the attachment, twisting the cable until it snapped into place.
“All set.” Dan nodded at Mark.
“Good. Ariel, begin power transfer.” Mark called to the front of the ‘Grazer. The General walked over to join them.
“Do you men need any help?”
“When we get aboard we’re going to have to go through ten decks one at a time to make sure we didn’t pick up any passengers, so yeah, you’ll be needed General. Grab a gun and sit tight for a minute or two more.”
Mark tapped a staccato pattern on a flat keypad under the same cover that the power conduits inlet was hiding beneath. After a second a retina scan read his eyes, and a DNA scan read his hand. One final code was introduced on the flush keypad and then the door slid open with power supplied by the Stargrazer.
Within the Cagliostro was darkness. Mark tapped out a pattern on the sleeve of his uniform and immediately his sleeve produced a beam of light that cut through the darkness.
The General snorted, “Too bad you couldn’t make that thing into a weapon.”
Mark turned to him and smiled grimly, “Who said I couldn’t? Problem is too many men would blow their hands off if I did. I would probably forget from time to time myself.”
The old man nodded grimly in agreement, “Valid point.”
“So do we all go? Does someone stay with the ‘Grazer? How do you want to play this?” Eddie asked.
Mar k Johnson did not answer immediately as he read one of the small handheld scanners they had used earlier on the planet itself. “Atmosphere reads normal. Eddie, you stay here. Close the hatch behind us and be ready to open that hatch at a moment’s notice if we come running.”
“You think there may be some surprises left for us?”
“I wouldn’t doubt it, but you never know. I’m probably just being overly cautious, which in this case is not such a
“You think that’s what happened?” Ariel asked.
“See the scarring along the hull?
She nodded in the affirmative, her face stern.
“The Cag was in a battle , and a prolonged one too, against several ships. Are you getting any life signs?” Mark turned and asked Red.
“Looking now. Doing a scan. Nothing so far, also no power anywhere on the ship it’s completely out.”
By now the Stargrazer had slowed out of hyper-warp and slowly pulled up near the much larger ship.
“She doesn’t appear damaged, M ark, not badly at any rate, just powerless.”
“When we first battled that war ship as we were heading to the sand planet, they hit us with something that drained our power and energy stores. Multiple hits of that from multiple ships would have drained her dry.”
“We have to get inside.” Red growled.
“What’s going on?”
Everyone turned to find Danny standing in the doorway, rubbing his head dry with a towel. Then he stopped as he saw the view screen and cursed almost silently.
Dan slid into his chair and Mark returned navigation control to him. “Line up our belly hatch with the side of the Cag right there.” He pointed at a spot as Dan slowly guided the smaller ship up to the side of the much larger one. The Stargrazer turned sideways and floated in, securely bumping into the side of the Cagliostro.
“Magnetic locks activated.” Dan called out.
Mark was out of his seat in an instant and walking towards the center of the small spacecraft. Then he changed his footing to the wall of the ship standing on it and activating the irising portal that was on the floor of the Stargrazer.
The portal irise d open and revealed the blank wall, which was actually a hatch on the outer hull of the Cagliostro. Mark picked up a heavy cable from a supply outlet on the Stargrazer and began to attach it to a mating port on the side of the door on the Cagliostro. Dan walked over and joined Mark. He took the heavy cable from Mark’s hands and finished the attachment, twisting the cable until it snapped into place.
“All set.” Dan nodded at Mark.
“Good. Ariel, begin power transfer.” Mark called to the front of the ‘Grazer. The General walked over to join them.
“Do you men need any help?”
“When we get aboard we’re going to have to go through ten decks one at a time to make sure we didn’t pick up any passengers, so yeah, you’ll be needed General. Grab a gun and sit tight for a minute or two more.”
Mark tapped a staccato pattern on a flat keypad under the same cover that the power conduits inlet was hiding beneath. After a second a retina scan read his eyes, and a DNA scan read his hand. One final code was introduced on the flush keypad and then the door slid open with power supplied by the Stargrazer.
Within the Cagliostro was darkness. Mark tapped out a pattern on the sleeve of his uniform and immediately his sleeve produced a beam of light that cut through the darkness.
The General snorted, “Too bad you couldn’t make that thing into a weapon.”
Mark turned to him and smiled grimly, “Who said I couldn’t? Problem is too many men would blow their hands off if I did. I would probably forget from time to time myself.”
The old man nodded grimly in agreement, “Valid point.”
“So do we all go? Does someone stay with the ‘Grazer? How do you want to play this?” Eddie asked.
Mar k Johnson did not answer immediately as he read one of the small handheld scanners they had used earlier on the planet itself. “Atmosphere reads normal. Eddie, you stay here. Close the hatch behind us and be ready to open that hatch at a moment’s notice if we come running.”
“You think there may be some surprises left for us?”
“I wouldn’t doubt it, but you never know. I’m probably just being overly cautious, which in this case is not such a
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