The Inevitable

This was his last chance to run; at least the odds would not be so favorable at a later time. Lee Kaen knew he could not run, not when it meant danger to the Captain. Their ship had been boarded less than three hours ago, he still had time to reach the emergency pods, but Captain Tarnell was unconscious, unwilling to be revived despite Lee's efforts.

He had known before the voyage had begun, that it would end in death and disaster. He had known the Barbara would not be able to withstand the sudden attacks. He had tried to tell the Captain, but who would listen to a lowly maintenance worker. Blast those Jangandan moon pirates.

The Jagas, as they were commonly referred called, had been complaining for years about the Trade Circle traveling through their holy space. They claimed that the Trade Circle would die before the wrath of Halijag, their god, to whom they prayed systematically. The dark skinned pirates had been causing trouble for three hundred years, since before the third Interstellar War. This dispute would undoubtedly cause the eighth, once again ravaging the outer planets.

The Barbara was supposed to be undertaking a long and rather peaceful trip. Its route taking it from one of Uranus's moons, past Saturn, and through the Asteroid Belt to Mars. There it would load the tools necessary to mine the electrical ore found within Uranus's rings.

They had slipped past three of Saturn's moons before the rabble pirates caught them. Traveling undetected should have been routine for a ship, such as the Barbara, with very small defense systems. Actually it only had four firing mechanisms, two laser cannons and two electro-plasmic launchers. The latter was used almost exclusively for last resort defensive procedures. The Navigator and the Stealth Major must have been drinking too much Saki, a type of strong liquor, last night, for they had bungled their tasks horribly, and now they had died for it. The Captain had no regrets about emptying two M345 Tirteno Pistol shells into their drunken heads; just minutes after the Jagandians had boarded.

All that had happened, according to Lee's time keeper, two and one-half hours ago. Listening carefully, Lee heard the sharp, roaring bursts of J1298 Tirteno Assault Rifles, the weapon of choice among the Trade Circle's Rangers, grow fewer and farther between. The Rangers, the Trade Circle's warriors, were dying faster than he had anticipated, these pirates knew their business well. He had known what would happen, what was about to happen.

Focusing his attention once again on Captain Tarnell, he smiled. Who would have thought that such an old man, as the Captain, could put up such a fight. He had killed three Jagas before one got to him with a tazer. Apparently they wanted him alive, possibly for ransom.

Lee came into the Tarnell's quarters in time to see the skinny, dark skinned pirate get the best of the Captain. Raising his rifle, he fired six rounds into the small man's chest, and watched him double over choking on his own blood. The sight turned Lee's stomach, he had no illusions about being a fighter, he just did what he must. Those few moments of intense drama, occurred close to an hour ago.

Prior to finding Captain Tarnell, Kaen had been through the ship, searching for him. The ship, being as large as the ancient building on Earth known as the Empire State Building, could have harbored the Captain anywhere. It was a stroke of luck for Lee, that the Captain had been found in his own quarters and within the first hour of the boarding.

His mind returning to the present, Lee stared toward the opening of the Captain's bedchamber. Any second now it would happen. He would never see his wife, Tammy, or twin boys, Michael and Adam, again. Tears sliding down his perspiring cheeks, Lee tried his best to steel himself for the task at hand. Death was always harder to accept when you had loved ones to leave behind.

"Why me!" he screamed through his sobs.

Anytime now, something would happen. He knew he would die no matter what he did, it was just a matter of whom and with what weapon. Suddenly Tarnell's eyes fluttered open.

"Captain, are you all right?"

"Kaen, is that you?"

"Yes sir, it's me. I've been worried about you Captain, you do not look well at all. Are you sure you feel alright? I will give you the details of the past hour and..."

Lee was cutoff by the bullet, fired from the Captain's M345, that penetrated his left eye. Why had the Captain shot him? With his last few moments of life he realized why the Jagandians had not killed the Captain. Never before had it registered inside his brain that the Captain was dark skinned, or that he also provided the Saki for his officers. With his dying breath he gasped "Traitor...."


Two weeks earlier:

Waking up from the dream, in which he was unable to catch a glimpse of his killer's face, Lee walked over to his communicator and asked for the Scheduling Department. While waiting for the transmission to go through, he watched his wife and kids playing in the playroom. Oh God, how he would miss them.

"Scheduling Department, how may I help you?"

"Uh, hello this is Lee Kaen, is it possible I could make a voyage swap? I am currently scheduled to board the Barbara in two days. I would like to be aboard another ship for my voyage shift."

"I am sorry sir, but we cannot allow that. The Barbara is understaffed at this moment. It is to be voyaging with only forty-five percent of its crew. We need all personnel available for this voyage. Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you for your time."

Knowing the future did not change it.