"Riders on the Storm."

Written and Directed by:
Paul Burton.
Fiction by: Paul Burton and (mostly) Anthony Hummerston.
STARRING:

Karnov,   Niall,   Jimmi,   Mama
And special guest stars:
Hen3ry , Joe-9T, Trio and 'Blinkie.'
as the droids.

AND
Storm Cutter
A rusty old tramp freighter.

The war between the GALACTIC REPUBLIC and TRADE FEDERATION continues unabated. Both sides are regrouping and reorganising their forces following the earliest battles and a preparing for the next phase of hostilities. The war of outposts continues and small craft absorb most of the losses until the great fleets and armies return to the fray.

FEDERATION commandoes and saboteurs continue to strike targets in the core worlds and other important planets; seemingly able to bypass even the RING OF STEEL around CORUSCANT. How they manage to evade security measures remains unknown.

A plot to sabotage the small ship fleet of the Republic has been thwarted by a small group of Republic agents, led by the Jedi Karnov and Niall. Though the threat to the fleet has been removed the culprit remains at large. He is known have travelled to CORELLIA with Lady Andrim of KUAT, wife of the owner of the largest shipyard in the Republic. STORM CUTTER and her crew are travelling to the exclusive GOLDEN BEACHES of Corellia in their quest to apprehend the saboteur.

Storm Cutter is in hyperspace. Jimmi and Rojic have joined them on Kuat and settled into their old cabins. Karnov has had a long holo-call with Master Junn. Raised voices were heard briefly, and Karnov has retired to her room, feeling unwell and complaining about travel sickness..

After two hours, they drop from hyperspace, and Corellia is seen among her brother planets, glimmering blue and green in the light of the star, Corell.

“Home!” Mama says. Jimmi raises an eyebrow. “Well, home for Storm Cutter. She was built here, and did some sterling work in the old days.”

“The days before the Republic is that?”

“Don’t be cheeky, Jimmi.”

Rojic breezes in. “What’s up with Karnov? I want to service the rivet gun, and she said ‘no’ to that.”

“I think her exact quote was ‘If you fire that up Rojic, you’ll find parts of your anatomy riveted to various parts of the ship.’” Joe-9T reminds him.

“Curse your Yocto-byte memory capacity.”

Jo-9T gives him a disdainful look. “Actually sir, that’s ‘Yotta.’ – It rhymes with ‘lotta!’”

Rojic rounds on the droid. “I knew that! I was just testing to see if my proofreaders were awake! He peers over the fourth wall, but finds no-one looking back.

Jimmi asks a pertinent question. “Are we headed for Coronet City?”

“Actually, no. The golden beaches are nearer Tyrena.” Mama tells him. “My husband and I looked at a house or two on Golden Beaches once.”

Jimmi’s mouth opens in surprise. “You were going to move into a house on Golden Beach? – But they cost millions, -if not billions- of credits to buy!”

“I said looked. We were window shopping. Dreaming of a life of happy retirement and luxury.”

Jimmi ‘looks’ around at the shabby interior of Storm Cutter. “What happened?”

“A lot. -A hell of a lot.” Mama shrugs, “–But I’m still dreaming though.”

“Actually, I meant ‘what happened when you looked?’”

“We got escorted off the premises by a security droid. At gunpoint.”

Joe-9T pipes up. “Mmmm…..Security. I could go for that.”

“You need to be diplomatic for security work, Joe.”

Joe-9T hefts Sarah-Jane. “….Killing people with a smile. Gunboat diplomacy!”

Rojic asks, “Are we putting down on the estate?”

“I think the security has been beefed up since then. They have anti-aircraft cannons and everything now.”

“So we walk?” Rojic tries to keep the horror from his voice.

“We walk from the spaceport to the mag-lev. Then we ride to the terminal then we take a skimmer.”

“What about the jet monorail?” Jimmi asks, looking at Mama.

“They haven’t been used for millennia, Jimmi.”

“You would know.” Jimmi whoops and strides to the exit ramp.

Rocket tram froim the Old Republic era.

“Make sure we’re hovering eighteen inches from the ground when Jimmi leaves.” Mama whispers to Niall.

“The force is for knowledge and defence….” Niall reminds her.

“So don’t use the force. -Use the thrusters!”

They meet by a D’Estrella retainer. He passes over the access codes to the estate. There is also a datapad filled with pages of rules, regulations and guidelines. The retainer looks at Storm Cutter and the dishevelled crew. A disdainful eyebrow is raised.

“It’s okay. We’re the personal guests of Colonel D’Estrella.” Mama says smoothly, handing over their invitation. “We’re the…..Um….”

“Cleaning crew.” Karnov says, shooting a look at Niall.

The retainer looks at Storm Cutter again. “Are you some kind of astronauts?”

Joe-9T continues baiting the unfortunate man. “No, we're the exterminators.” He cocks Sarah-Jane threateningly. “Someone saw some cockroaches up on beach twelve. They may be splitting up. They may be on beaches five and six too!”

“But they mostly come at night.” Rojic chimes in. “Mostly….”

The retainer scuttles off. “Too many holos on the trip over….” He says to himself. As soon as he is out of sight, Mama copies the access code, and tosses the datapad into the nearest waste compactor.

The crew pack what they think they need. They get a big trunk out of the hold and fill the bottom two-thirds with guns, blasters, disruptors and other weapons. Then they put in a few items of clothing and fill the top quarter with hold-out blasters, carbines, rifles, knives, lightsabres and vibro-weapons. They put a towel over the top and squash the whole thing down by putting Mama and Joe-9T on top; - who between them weigh nearly half a ton. Only then can Niall and Karnov snap the clasps shut. They secure the case with ropes and chains and luggage straps.

“Phew! I hope that there are no CorSec officers wanting to look in inside.”

“They’ll get a nasty surprise if they do!”

“Yeah, a real NASTY surprise!”

They give the case to Joe-9T, who is the only one who can heft the weight.

“I think we’d make great smugglers.” Niall muses. “They confiscate the case, and let us go through, even though the case is being carried by an assassin droid.”

He and Karnov bump fists.

“Nasty surprise. Nasty surprise….Gollum!” Joe-9T chortles. The others get the giggles.

Finally, in feigned innocence, Karnov asks, “Where’s Rojic?”

After the laughter finally dies down it is quiet enough for them to hear muffled shouts from inside the case.

“NASTY SURPRISE!” Joe-9T says again, and the laughter lasts until they get to their destination.

The beach house is a gorgeous mix of retro-and modern styling. It is in beautiful grounds, with a set of steps that lead from the cliff edge, down to a private beach. The sea is warn and inviting. They spend an hour or so paddling their feet, and settling in before Karnov feels ill again. “I’m off for a swim.” She announces, and with that disappears beneath the waves. Having left Trio behind, it is down to Mama to serve early afternoon drinks.

“Early afternoon drinks!” She calls to the others who come scurrying over.

“But you only just had lunchtime drinks.”

“I need to fit them in before mid-afternoon drinks, tea-time drinks, aperitif drinks, a drink with our meal, after-dinner drinks, (and a wafer-thin mint) and a drink before bed-time….To help me sleep.”

“No wonder Trio is running twenty-four-seven on board ship.”

“I only drink all day when it’s provided for free!”

Niall looks over. “What’s that key in your hand?”

“It’s the key to the cocktail cupboard.”

Niall muses. “There is something very suspicious about a man who keeps his booze under lock and key.”

“Did you learn that in Jedi school?”

“No I learned that in life.”

“What’s more disturbing, is a man who keeps his death-sticks under lock and key.” Rojic says, puffing on a hundred-credit death-stick, and passing them around.

“No what’s more disturbing is how you got out of the trunk!”

“I’m a Toydarian….-And I’m a Toydarian!”

Joe-9T has the last laugh. “That’s two Toydarians too many.”

D'Estrella beach house.

After some drinks and some more drinks, they all sit on the terrace, watching the bay, and wonder how long it has been since Karnov went for a swim. Mama starts to muse aloud. “It’s a lovely place. So isolated, so tranquil, so remote. -I hope the colonel and I can come here on our honeymoon.”

The others look at her with that look. The one that means ‘I heard what you said…. I can’t believe you said it.’

Mama rounds on them. “What?”

“He’s not in your league.”

Mama refutes this. “We’re mature, we like to shoot things, we like drinking and death-sticks, we have similar interests, and we like each other’s company.”

“But the age difference, Mama!”

“We’re similar age….Just.”

Joe-9T chortles. “Like a parsec is close in distance to a kilometre.”

“I’ll make you eat those words Joe!” Mama says crossly.

Joe taps his face. “No mouth….-Stupid!”

They settle down again. It’s too nice a day and too nice a beach house to argue for long. That doesn’t stop one droid though.

Joe-9T turns to Jimmi. “No neighbours for miles. -It’d be a great place to practice your singing….”

Everyone but Jimmi looks at him. –in the same way as they looked at Mama.

“What?” Joe-9T isn’t backing down. “I’m just saying what everyone else is thinking!”

“We need to meet the neighbours.” Jimmi reminds them. “Maybe I could go over and return their lawn-mower.”

“Or their hedge trimmer.” Rojic says.

“Or their daughter….” Joe-9T chimes in. “-Just saying what everyone else is thinking!”

We’d better scout it out. Any clues where the D’Estrella estate stops and the Andrim one starts?”

“There were little markers on the beach. More of a guideline than a rule.”

“Probably the boundary does the same.”

Jimmi is thinking. “Maybe I could take my cane and go for a wander. Being blind, I’d not see the markers, and might ‘accidentally’ wander over the boundary.”

“Good plan.”

Joe-9T says, “I could go for a wander. Being a homicidal maniac, I might accidentally wander over the boundary and kill every organic being in a ten-mile radius.”

“That’d include us. -Stupid.”

“Just saying what I’m thinking!”

“But you said it out loud.” Niall points out.

Joe-9T looks straight at Niall. “Well I’m not blessed with the force….Or am I?”

There being no better plan for scouting than Jimmi’s plan. They put the plan into action. Jimmi goes for a walk, -as planned- and the others take more drinks and smoke more death-sticks on the terrace. – A grand plan!

Jimmi crosses the border. There are discreet markers and a line of box-hedge topiary bushes to delineate the line. Jimmi taps with the cane and crosses over.

A hundred yards later, there is the unmistakable sound of a blaster rifle being cocked.

“Hey you! This is private property.” A gruff voice tells Jimmi.

Jimmi turns away from the voice and lifts the cane a little. “No this is.”

“This is Andrim Land.” The voice tells Jimmi. “Now get off….” As Jimmi turns, the tone softens. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

Jimmi empathises. “No. I think I made the mistake. I got turned around somewhere.”

“Following a lieutenant with a map?” The voice jokes.

“Something like that.”

The guard comes over. “Here, I’ll show you back.”

“Thanks. I’ll be more careful in future.” Jimmi apologises.

“You’ll be dead!”

Jimmi instinctively goes for a blaster, but has sensibly left it behind.

The voice cackles. “Only joking. Here….”

“Thanks.”

The guard watches Jimmi wander off, and goes back to report. In the force Jimmi watches the guard wander off and goes back to report.

“What did you see?” The others ask.

“Wonderful things!”

“Yeah, cut the archaeology poodoo, and tell us.”

“Stick to the facts, ma’am…. Or is that, stick to the facts, man?”

Jimmi explains.

“Through the force, I can see things. -Other places; the future; the past….Old friends long gone.”

“We’ll be long gone before you explain.”

“Sorry. – Okay, I saw several people dotted around -like a security team. Another was different, probably a woman. She seemed a little frightened and alone.” Jimmi’s voice tails off.

“That it?” Rojic asks.

Some sense kicks in with Mama. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to tell us something that we don’t want to hear?”

Jimi regains some composure. “I was going to say that…. -And I had a bad ….Er….You know….One of ‘those’ beliefs.”

“Should have gone before we left!”

“I had a feeling-that-was-bad.” Jimmi clarifies, trying not to say the phrase that will jinx the whole operation.

Joe-9T reports back too. “Report: I saw a vehicle parked on the driveway. I ran a scan. Several individual power sources inside.”

They piece the intel together. “So… We have a woman on her own. Probably Lady Andrim. Then a deployment of guards, probably about a dozen….-And then a squad of droids. – Probably around twenty. -And a tremor in the force.”

“A Trevor in the force?”

“Shut up!”

They think for a moment.

“No sign of him?”

“Him? Him who?”

“Illum Andromak. The man we came to interview.”

Joe-9T steers the conversation his way. “Exterminate with extreme prejudice, I says.”

“Thanks Joe. I’m glad you’re on our side.”

“The only two sides are: Me…. -And all organic life!”

They decide to wait and watch the house.

The next day, they decide to wait and watch the house. The next day…. Well you get the idea. Jimmi and Mama are itching for something to happen. They hatch another plan.

“How about if we wander up the driveway, and ring the bell? Then we can apologise, and invite Lady Andrim around for drinks, by way of saying sorry for trespassing.”

“Great plan. All we need is someone with a little skill in diplomacy.”

They all look at one another blankly. Joe-9T lifts Sarah Jane. “I can be diplomatic.”

“Not that kind of assassin-droid diplomacy.”

In the end, Mama volunteers. “Okay, come on. We’ll go this afternoon.”

“Haven’t you got some drinking to do this afternoon?”

“Oooh! Thanks for reminding me.”

Later Jimmi and Mama approach the formal entrance to the Andrim estate. There is a gateway with an intercom. They press the button and a bell rings.

“We already did that gag.” Jimmi observes. After a moment a woman’s voice answers. “Yes?”

“Oh hello. It’s us from, Er….Next door….My friend Jimmi here…. Would like to apologise for the other day. And to say sorry, we wondered if you’d like to join us for dinks sometime?”

“Thank you but no. I want to be left alone.”

“Okay. Sorry again….But if you change your mind.”

“Thank you. That’s kind of you, but no. –Goodbye.”

Jimmi and Mama hover as long as they dare, in case there is a coded message or supplemental comment about telling the marines. But the intercom remains silent.

They wander off, and back to report to the others.

“We can wait. Maybe she’ll reconsider?”

“We can’t wait forever.” Niall says.

“No.” Mama agrees. “When the booze and the death-sticks and the long sunny days run out we might have to go into town to get another decade’s worth of supplies.”

“No that is not what I meant!”

In the end they decide to go in tomorrow. Even forcing their way in if necessary. “After all, what is the point of being a galactic peacekeeper if I can’t go around someone’s house for a quiet chat in their shell-like?”

They watch the house into the evening, and leave Joe-9T to watch overnight. In the morning there is nothing to report.

“Except that the droid transport is missing.”

“Missing, how?”

“It left in the small hours.”

“Left? Where?”

“I don’t know. That is beyond my programming.”

Rojic is buzzing around excitedly. “I’ve got something!”

“We all know that!” Everyone else says, more or less in unison.

Rojic ignores the comment. “No. I’m not rising to the bait. –I was looking on the Corellian computer network….”

“When you say looking you mean slicing into.”

“Yeah. Goes without saying.”

“Okay.”

“So I was slicing into the network, and looking for any trace of Andromak arriving or leaving.” Rojic explains.

“Any luck?”

“No. I think he was at the house, but he’s not now.”

Mama point out something. “If he’s moving under the radar there’s a million places one could hop on a shuttle or a transport or stow-away and get off planet.”

Niall adds, “If he left at all. He might be hiding out on planet, just under the radar.”

“So we’re no nearer finding him.”

“Unless he turns up next-door, no.”

They think about this for a moment.

Mama points out something important. “You know, if CorSec catch you slicing into their computer systems, they’ll put you away for a twenty stretch?”

Rojic puffs up his chest. “I’m an expert. I won’t get caught!”

Mama mimes opening a window. “He’s over here!” she calls out.

Rojic is quiet for a moment. It doesn’t last long. “I also monitored a piece of news on the network. It would appear that a squad of droids attacked a secure facility not far from here. -Killed a load of employees and civilians. More than a hundred died before the droids were destroyed.”

The others all look at one another. “Like a road transport filled with droids…. That was parked next-door?”

“Could be.”

There is some harsh swearing in Huttese. Mama strides around cursing their ineffective bodies.

Niall stands. “That decides it then. I’m going right in. -Right now!”

“What about backup? We need Karnov too.”

“No time to wait. Either Lady Andrim is in on this or she’s a hostage. –Either way, this ends NOW!” He looks around for support. They all disagree to a man. – He’s the only certified man there!

Joe-9T is pleased with the direct frontal assault approach. “If you shoot first, there’s no need for questions after! It’s not ‘callous,’ it’s simply optimising efficiency. -My logic is undeniable!”

The others are used to this by now. They hardly even flinch.

“I’m going to have to reprogramme that droid someday.” Rojic tells them.

Joe-9T gives his best chilling voice. “Oh yeah… You and who’s clone army?”

Rojic counters, “Save your strength. There'll be another time. Remember Lady Andrim. You have to take care of her.” He grimaces as he realises what he has said.

“I’m taking the front.” Niall interrupts, planning out his attack. “The rest of you come up the stairs from the beach, and attack the rear.

“It faces the sea. That’s the front. You’re at the rear.”

Niall stares at them all. “You know what I mean!” He hisses at them. They don’t need to be told twice. “Joe, you take point. If any of those guards open fire, you shoot back. Keep them away from any comms array too. I also need you all to be alert for any trickery. Lady Andrim might slip away in a fire-fight or need our help.”

Mama gets up. “Where are you going?” Niall asks, pointedly.

“To get the trunk. It’s where all the guns are.”

Joe-9T chortles. In ten minutes they are ready.

Tem minutes later, everyone is in position. Niall strides up the drive and knocks on the bell. When there is no answer he rings the knocker. He is about to slice his way in with a lightsabre, when a woman’s voice answers. “Hello?”

Niall is in full stride. “By the powers vested in me by the Jedi council, I demand that you let me in!”

“Wait a minute.” The voice says. A moment later a figure emerges from the house and a slim Togrutan woman strides up the drive. Niall has a bad feeling about this. He fancies that he can see the hilt of a lightsabre at her belt, but isn’t sure. Strange feelings crowd his mind. -Strange, and unpleasant.

“Make your statement….-AND LEAVE.” The Togruta says to him.

“I have a message that only concerns family members.” Niall says as politely as he can muster.

“I’m representing the family. You can pass your message to me.”

Niall stands his ground. The Togruta woman is slimmer and shorter than he is, apart from the montrals that adorn her head. Even so, he feels a little intimidated.

There is a momentary stand off. Both Niall and the woman are sizing one another up, like two ferocious Nexu about to pounce on one another.

Finally the woman breaks the silence. “You don’t know what you’re meddling with….” She seethes at him. This sends a shiver down Niall’s spine, though he covers it expertly, and shows no chink in his armour.

“I do that a lot.” He responds, defusing her venomous words. The woman is wrong-footed. “The lady of the house is well….” She counters, though it isn’t the best response. Niall has an opening. “Then you won’t object to me seeing her.” Niall says, in all innocence, but tinged with the persuasiveness of the Force. The battle of wills is reaching a climax. The Togruta woman grins, showing rows of sharp teeth. Her eyes blaze with fury. “You are weak, boy.” She taunts him, throwing off the effect of the force in his words. The spell is broken. She continues. “We have a mission here. We cannot allow you to jeopardise it.” She glowers at him. “You still have a chance to leave….”

“You still have a chance to surrender.” Niall retorts. She changes tack.

“Don’t you see how corrupt the Republic has come?”

“Politics isn’t my department.”

“Not mine either. But I cannot allow you in.” She tells him, almost resigned.

“I’m sorry you feel this way.”

She takes a half step back. A second later she tells her guards to open fire. She ignites a lightsabre and puts up a defensive stance before Niall. The blue glow lights up her face, now livid with rage. Shots ring out behind her, and she lunges at Niall. He is too quick to grant her an easy kill, and easily counters her blow with a deflection. The duel is on!

A brief firelight breaks out at the house. Joe-9T leads the charge, and is blasted full in the chest for his valiant effort. Jimmi blasts away, and starts chipping away at the squad of mercenary guards, but is beaten back by their assault. Joe-9T concentrates fire on a guard by a comms dish. “If he gets a signal off, we’re all screwed.” Finally after several shots, the guard drops. Joe-9T blasts the dish, which lights up the dusk with sparks.

Rojic manages to flutter upward and hide behind a chimney. He shoots several guards, injuring them all. Mama blasts off six shots in rapid succession before her gun falls silent. A new clip is rammed home, and this time, two critical hits start to make inroads into the defenders. However it isn’t a one-sided fight. The guards can pack some damage on a hit, and are wearing sturdy body armour. Our heroes can’t muster very many telling shots. After a while both sides are pinned down. It will be a battle of attrition.

Niall and the Togruta woman are trading blows, their lightsabres flashing in the gathering darkness. The woman calls more and more on the force, harshly beating him back, but Niall remains calm, wearing down her strength, waiting for an opening. Parry attack, riposte, lunge, threaten defend.- They are fairly evenly matched. -And then suddenly Niall senses it, the woman over-reaches a fraction, and he lunges. His weapon pierces her shoulder, and sinks in a few inches. She howls with rage, baring her teeth, seething and hissing like a caged Cathar. Niall defends solidly, giving nothing away. There is a slight lull in the fighting behind them, and a guard captain comes running up. He levels a blaster on Niall. The woman cackles, and Niall is forced into a full defensive stance. Turning the tables, he manages another glancing blow. The woman lands a strike on him, and he winces. The guard captain looks happy that it is now two-on-one. It’s now or never for Niall. The force flows gently through him, and he draws on its strength. The woman is quietly raging, growing ever more desperate to finish him. She slashes at him, giving him a chance. As Niall turns her blade, he gives a twist of the wrist, and his weapon plunges into her chest. Her mouth opens in a silent scream. Her eyes flash pure hatred at him, and she sinks to the floor defeated. The guard captain raises his blaster, but the shot goes wide. Niall sweeps his lightsabre at full stretch, and cuts the weapon in two. Sparks fly everywhere.

The man is undeterred, and in an instant has a long vibro-knife in his hand. He brings it across his body, slashing at Niall. The man is not as skilled as his mistress, and Niall cuts him down with a coup de grâce shot. The others meantime, have managed to kill three of the defenders. They are pressing their attack when the guard sergeant calls for a ceasefire. The shooting stops and the mercenaries surrender. Jimmi has been badly wounded, but will survive, Rojic has several minor wounds. Mama has a few burn marks all over her, but is otherwise not too badly injured. Joe-9T has taken the brunt of the attack, and is evilly chalking his kills into the carbon scoring on his chest plate, and glowering at the survivors.

Niall steps over to the defeated woman. Her life is ebbing faster than he can stop. The hatred still shows on her face. In seconds she is gone. Niall flicks his hand and with the force, her lightsabre lifts into it. He clips it onto his belt.

A few gasps of air later, and the team enters the house. In a room is a rather frightened Lady Andrim. They comfort her, but are wary of a trap. –After all, she may be complicit in the whole plot. They search the house, but Andromak is not to be seen.

“Where is he?”

“He was here a few days ago. Before you came. But he left.”

“Where did he go?”

Lady Andrim is frightened and cowed. “I don’t know.”

Niall and Jimmi concentrate on her words, but fail to find any hint of a lie. A minute ticks by.

“Where might he have gone?”

“Again, I don’t know.” Lady Andrim is starting to regain her composure and now cuts a stronger figure. She stands. Niall and Jimmi leave to confer.

“What do you think, Niall?”

“I think I should get out of this business.”

“No. I meant what about her?”

“I think that she may have been brought here willingly, but held here by the Togruta woman.”

“The one lying dead on the drive?” Jimmi says without feeling.

“You noticed that too?”

“I did. I also felt something in the force.” Jimmi tells him.

“It would be an obvious way of coercing her.” Niall agrees.

They think for a minute. “She may still be an accomplice. We’ll let the authorities question her fully. In the meantime we’ll let Lord Andrim know that his wife is safe….For now, but that the bird has flown.”

With them both in agreement they walk back to the others. Jimmi stops Niall just out of earshot.

“There’s something else. -We’d best keep an eye on the others.”

Niall stops. “How so?”

“I think one or two of them were rather shocked at the droids slaughtering several dozens of people. Not quite ‘on our watch’ -but close to it.”

“You think that they might want revenge?”

“Not as such, but we don’t yet know Lady Andrim’s involvement. Best avoid anything unpleasant by getting her away -sharpish.”

“Agreed.”

Nothing unpleasant has happened during their tête-à-tête. Though Joe-9T and Mama still have guns in their hands.

“We’re handing her over. For her own protection, and to let the authorities tie up the loose ends. If Karnov is too unwell to travel with us, we’ll let her deal with Lady Andrim’s debrief.” Niall sounds so authoritative, that the others decline to argue.

They search the house. Apart from a few belongings which can be accounted for, there is nothing. Niall interrogates the sergeant. He knows nothing, except a name. “Spill it.” Niall tells him calmly, and slightly menacingly.

“I don’t know anything. Trust me.”

“Okay. Just tell me what you heard.”

“I heard them talking. I got a name. That’s all.”

“What is it?”

The man takes a deep breath. Then quietly, and succinctly says, “Storm Rider.”

Mama gulps for air, but manages not to give anything away. Niall senses this and orders the man to be taken away.

When the sergeant is gone, he turns to Mama.

“Something tells me you know this name?”

There being little point in denying it, Mama grabs a stiff drink, and spills all.

“Okay. Years ago, I married a man named Julan Redmoreton. We were happy, we were in love. We bought Storm Cutter together and built a business. Every few months we bought another freighter and added it to the fleet. Every ship was called Storm –something. There was Storm Cutter, Storm Echo, Storm Warning, and so on. Until we had about a dozen of them. Some time after our youngest was born, Julan left, and not just left, but left with crippling debts to pay, and a string of creditors from here to the outer rim. Eventually all but one of the ships were sold off, leaving me with debts to clear, and several screaming kids. -They’re all grown up now of course.

“And Storm Rider was one of your fleet?”

“Yes. Storm Rider was one of ours. –But that was nearly twenty years ago. It might be a co-incidence.”

“Anything special about Storm Rider?”

“Not as I recall.”

There is a long silence.

Finally Mama says, “I wonder if he’s behind all this.”

“Who?”

“My husband. I’d so love to see Julan…. One last time.”

“Why one last time?”

“Coz this time I’m going along with Joe....And shooting first!”

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Footnotes. (Not today, thankyou!)