DJ's Mission (30 page)

“No one calls me that anyone. That was another
life. I’m the Red Falcon now and these two are thieves.”

Iaido shook his head. “No, the Red Falcon was my
cover identity many, many years ago. And I have the original files to prove it.
Your Galactic charter, if you actually have one, is a forgery since I never
gave you permission to use it. I did however, pass on all rights and documents
to DJ and he has passed it on to Jagger Jax. So…as of now, he’s the real Red
Falcon.”

Nichols growled. “Over my dead body.”

Iaido sighed. “If that is your wish but I implore
you to reconsider.” He pointed to the left. The flashing lights of a dozen
sheriff skimmers could be seen in the distance. “It’s over. The authorities are
here.”

Mörder stepped forward. “No, they aren’t here yet
and even if they were, they couldn’t stop me. I’m going to kill you and he can
kill the others. That way we’re all happy.”

“Cousin, you don’t have to walk this path. Your
father is dead. You don’t have to follow him.”

With an evil grin, both Mörder and Nichols
attacked.

Iaido became a blur of motion.

John Nichols, the faux Falcon, raised his gun at
DJ and fired.

But Iaido was already moving to intercept. Using
the legendary Blade of the Elements for his first strike, the ancient katana
cut right through his blaster even as it was firing; it was enough to deflect
the shot clear of his friend.

Iaido’s second strike was with his powered energy
sword. This blade was an exact replica of a traditional katana but there were
several differences. The weaponsmith had used a rare metal known as orichalcum
which could only be mined from asteroids. Using a blend of modern science and
ancient techniques, they folded the metal over one thousand times during the
forging process. This act, in conjunction with the extremely high tensile
strength of the metal, made the sword nearly unbreakable. Then, the engineers
got a hold of the weapon and added a mini anti-matter generator in the hilt
which caused the sword to vibrate at over five hundred mega-hertz per second;
which allowed the weapon to slice through just about any man-made object.
Secondly, this caused the lighting effect which ran up and down his blade.
Since the current carried nearly two hundred amperes of electricity, the arcs
and sparks could also kill an average human. 

This was the blade which Iaido slid through
Nichols’ gut. It cut right through the false Red Falcon armor as if he hadn’t
been wearing anything. However, Iaido didn’t pause. His last attack on Nichols
was fatal and he knew it. He only had seconds to close the gap between himself
and Mörder.

The pirate-king hadn’t been idle in the five
seconds it took Spartan to kill the faux Falcon. Mörder easily leapt the twenty
feet separating them and slashed with his powered gladii which has the same
cutting force as Iaido’s longer blade. It was only a combination of luck, the
tensile strength of the Red Falcon armor and the redheaded pirate’s quick
actions which prevented him from killing Jax with the first blow.

When Venus saw Mörder’s grin, she knew he was
about to attack. In that split second, she pushed her former lover aside. That
slight move changed the killing blow to a crippling blow and the pirate-king’s
blade ripped through the Red Falcon armor and severed his left arm about three
inches below the shoulder. But before he could take a second swing and finish
off Jax, Iaido was there.

Once again, the last Spartan found himself locking
blades with one of his cousins. He couldn’t help but wonder,
‘Will it always
be this way?’

  *   *   *   *   *

Sheriff Jeffery Kassinger had regained
consciousness sometime during the argument between the two Falcons and used the
confusion to work the capture net open a bit. He still wasn’t free but that was
only a matter of time. Inches from him were two items he needed to escape, a
blaster and a grenade.

Kassinger played possum and bided his time until
the right opening.

It came when the two swordsmen were dueling.
Everyone in the area was watching the fight. Hell, even the Marine and the
Admiral’s troublesome daughter had moved up next to the injured Jagger Jax and
the red-headed pirate. Now, he knew where to throw the grenade.

Only the two SWAT officers would be outside the
deadly blast radius but still close enough to knock them aside. Out of the
corner of his eyes he could see the approaching Sheriff skimmers and he knew
his window of opportunity was closing fast.

Pulling the pin, he tossed the grenade and made his
move.

  *   *   *   *   *

Now that the adrenaline rush from the gun battle
was wearing off, DJ was feeling weaker and weaker.

Even the dazzling sword display in front of them
couldn’t excite him. He was just too weak to care. He was actually starting to
think that he might have some internal bleeding from earlier but then…

He lost his train of thought.

Something about the black canister with the blinking
red light that just bounced off his foot caused him to forget what he was thinking.
For some reason, it seemed important. But why? What could it be?

  *   *   *   *   *

As Iaido blocked and parried his cousin’s attacks,
his combat awareness skill kicked in and time seemed to slow down for him. Logically,
he knew that time didn’t change, just his perceptions of his surroundings. When
this skill kicks in, his military programming and combat reflexes take over. He
doesn’t think, he just acts and reacts to the expanding situation.

It was this skill that allowed him to take in
nearly everything that was happening around him. For example, as he worked his
opponent’s guard up leaving a large opening underneath, he was aware of the
Aetós and eighteen sheriff skimmers arriving on the tarmac. As he completed his
spin and executed a beautiful reverse double thrust, he saw the black grenade
bounce off his friend’s foot. Even as he felt his twin katanas pierce the
Praetorian’s body, he knew that there wasn’t any way to cross the thirty feet
between him and the deadly explosive. All he could do was witness the death of
another friend.

What happened next would live in Iaido’s memory
for as long as he lived.

Jagger Jax, even with his left arm barely hanging
in place, leapt on top of the grenade. A split second later, there was a loud
explosion and his body lifted several inches off the ground but the deadly
explosion was contained by his body. Jagger Jax, ex-pirate and notorious thief,
had sacrificed himself to save those around him.

Seconds later, Kassinger bolted up from his position
and plowed through the two SWAT officers knocking them aside. Raising his
captured blaster, the former Sheriff took aim. Several shots rang out.

  *   *   *   *   *

Even as Spike fell, he began twisting to face the
new threat. His partner Sponge Bob reacted with the same intent but got a
little excited and pulled the trigger early. Unfortunately, his plasma rifle
was pointed right at Spike.

The red hot ball of energy entered Spike’s leg
just below the knee. At this range, the plasmoid tore right through the SWAT
tac-armor and the flesh beneath it. Spike yelled and fell to the ground.

“You bastard! You shot me…again!”

Before Spurgeon could say or do anything, Spike
returned the favor with his own rifle and shot him in the leg.

Sponge Bob fell to the ground grasping his leg. “You
son of a bit…”

  *   *   *   *   *

Even as Kassinger raised his weapon, his head
exploded.

Kaitlyn looked around to find the shooter and
discovered Stephanie and a pretty redhead in a deputy sheriff’s uniform.
Judging from the smoking blaster that she was holding, it was the deputy that
had fired the kill shot.

When her dad slumped to the ground, Katilyn yelled
over her shoulder. “Stephanie! Hurry and get help. My dad’s hurt.”

Stephanie ran up to her and gave her a quick hug.
“Help is on the way.”

“Help is already here,” came a melodic voice.

The three girls turned to find two women. The
speaker was a Sylvan with waist long silver-white hair, emerald eyes and
dressed in black leather pants and jacket with a silky green undershirt. The
second was shorter, curvy in all the right places with shoulder length black
hair pulled back into a ponytail and wearing a blue jumpsuit that seemed
military in origin.

Ignoring the women, the sylvan moved up to DJ and
placed two fingers on his forehead and said, “Sleep,” and the Marine was out.
“Take him onboard. I’ll meet you in med-bay.”

Athena nodded and lifted the big man easily. “Come
on Kaitlyn, let’s get your dad looked after.” Kaitlyn squeezed Stephanie’s hand
once and followed the sultry android.

Talia ignored the deputy and the redheaded pirate
and moved alongside the body of Jagger Jax. Placing one hand on his forehead
and one over his heart, she closed her eyes and spoke in a strange dialect.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and the ladies were shocked at their
appearance. They had gone completely green, no iris, no pupil, just solid
green. When she spoke, her musical voice seemed strained and far away. “I have
him…barely.”

Iaido nodded. “Take him.”

Talia looked up at the hovering warship and whispered,
“Do it.”

Four extremely long and amazingly pliable metal
arms came out of the open cargo bay door and wrapped themselves around the
shattered body of Jax. Seconds later, he and Talia were lifted inside the
yawning maw of the Nemesis. Without waiting for its Captain, the ship pivoted
in place and zoomed off.

Iaido turned to face the small gathering. The two
SWAT officers were being attended to by some of the Saturn Sheriffs med-techs.
The redheaded pirate and the blonde just stood off to the side as the redheaded
deputy barked orders at her brown coated subordinates. Finally she whirled on
the gathering and asked, “Does someone want to explain all this?”

Before anyone could say anything, a holographic
image of Commander Cline appeared out of thin air. “I believe I can answer many
of your questions Sheriff Cunningham.”

Jenny shook her head. “It’s Deputy.”

“Not anymore. By virtue of the Coalition Homestead
Act of 2155, and the fact that I am the senior ranking Coalition officer in
this region, I hereby appoint you to Sheriff of Saturn, pending an election of
course.”

Jenny blushed but quickly regained her composer.
“Thank you sir, I will do my best to restore honor to the office. My first
order of business is getting to the bottom of this mess. And no one is going
anywhere until I’m satisfied.” She paused but then pointed her finger directly
at Iaido. “That includes you, Mr. Spartan.”

*   *   *   *   *

They had moved into the conference room and each
person involved took turns telling their portion of the story. Of great concern
to those in involved in the firefight was the arrival of Stephanie and the
Saturn Sheriffs. Sherriff Cunningham took the time to explain.

“I’ve had my eye on Kassinger for several years.
Those of us that are left from the old force have always suspected that he
murdered my brother but we couldn’t prove it or even investigate. But we did
keep tabs on him. When the Admiral’s house exploded this evening, we knew
something was up.” Jenny pointed to the blonde. “When Agent Cole showed up and
told me about the kidnapping, I knew we finally had enough to arrest Kassinger.
I called on all the loyal deputies I could find and we raced here.”

Her explanation seemed to satisfy everyone.
Although the realization that Stephanie was a federal agent did shock a few
people. However, Jenny didn’t allow anyone to follow that line of thought when
she finally turned her attention and questions onto Iaido.

“And where do you fit into all this Mr. Spartan?”

Iaido had removed his opaque helmet and turned his
storm grey eyes onto the Sheriff.

“DJ is a friend of mine. His daughter was being
abused by her step-father and she called for his help. Given the influence that
Admiral Thomas wielded on Titan, I assisted DJ with a cover identity. We both
knew that if he arrived as himself, Kassinger would have him arrested. The Red
Falcon identity was mine from many years ago, so I transferred the license and
equipment to him.” Iaido pulled out a data-crystal and handed it her. “You will
find all the documents needed to prove his legitimacy as a duly registered
galactic bounty hunter on this crystal. Nothing he did, including rescuing his
daughter, broke galactic or intergalactic law.”

Jenny huffed. “I doubt that. I can think of at
least a dozen charges, including breaking and entering, destruction of
government property and lying to an officer just off the top of my head.”

It was at this point when Cmdr. Cline joined the
gathering. At his side was a broad shouldered pilot with graying hair at the
temples and a large scar on the top of his closely shaved head. As he entered,
Cmdr. Cline cleared his throat. “Sheriff Cunningham, I must remind you that
everything you have heard in this room is classified under article twenty-two
fourteen of Coalition law. Officially, none of this happened. Any laws, local
or galactic, that have been broken by the parties in this room are hereby
pardoned and forgotten.”

Seeing that she was about to object, Cmdr. Cline
raised his voice slightly and continued.

“Additionally, all assets controlled and owned by
Titan Avionics are hereby seized and will be held in trust until a full
tribunal can be convened. I’m sure, that you will grant the military plenty of
leeway in these matters as we work to clean up this mess.”

He turned to point at the officer at his side.
“This is Lieutenant Brockbank, he will be acting as our military liaison for
the next few days or until a replacement arrives. Until recently, he was the
commander of Alpha Flight which by the way, just beat off a raid by some JDL
fighters. Out of the seven ships under his command, only five made it to the
tarmac but none of the Raptors were left to return to their leaders.”