The Last Praetorian by Mike Smith Page B

ship away from the lecherous old bastard.
    In her late twenties, with a slim, willowy body, long flowing
dark hair and exotic features, her face was definitely oriental - high
cheekbones, full lips and straight nose.  Combined with her almond-shaped brown
eyes Miranda had long garnered a lot of attention from the opposite sex.  She
had been in a number of relationships, but they had all lasted only a short
time and most had ended acrimoniously, including one who was still nursing a
broken arm.  She had long since given up on the hope that she would ever meet
somebody who would view her for who she was, who would treat her as an equal
and not some plaything to be used and then later discarded.
    “Fine!“  Miranda snapped angrily.  “Then it will just make
this job quicker and easier for me.” With that she turned her back on the Eternal
Light and stalked off towards their waiting freighter and her much smaller
but deadlier ship secreted in the aft cargo hold… 
    A few hours later the freighter carrying the Magistratus
from the Chamber of Commerce, Business and Shipping slowly pulled away from the
station.  Unnoticed by the station’s sensors, a small patch of darkness quietly
separated from the departing ship and slipped under the shadow cast by the
station to await its prey…  
    *****
    Having finally concluded the remaining business for the day,
Jon slipped into the comfortable and familiar cockpit of the Eternal Light or ‘Light as he had long since referred to her.  He smiled briefly as
the thought crossed his mind of why ships were always female as he tried to
envisage the ‘Light as male.  The ‘Light had sheltered, protected
and offered him a home since his own had been lost years before.  Anyway the ‘Light was the most beautiful ship in this system or any other.  No the ‘Light was definitely a lady.  With that final thought he eased the power to the
engines and slowly pulled away from the station.   As the station slowly
receded in the aft scanner he gave some thought to the first time that he had
laid eyes on the station…
    He had still been a lowly Lieutenant back in the Imperial
Navy only recently having gained his commission when his squadron had been
dispatched to the outer rim to investigate a growing spate of pirate attacks on
the commercial shipping in this sector. 
    Even back then the Syndicate was busy in this system, Jon
mused to himself. The squadron had been based out of this station for several
months, back then it was just a remote repair and re-supply station designated, Terra Nova . Even then the station had seemed ancient.  During that
posting Jon remembered detesting it, viewing this assignment as a fool’s errand
in the middle of nowhere, with no opportunity for recognition or promotion.  It
seemed a different life back then, being that young eager Lieutenant always
looking for the next opportunity to demonstrate his flying prowess and eager
for promotion to newer and better things.  Thinking back he would have given
that brash youth some advice, b e careful what you wish for… otherwise you
might just get it.
    Far enough from the station Jon punched in the co-ordinates
to Transcendence Station into the autopilot and pushed the sub-light
engines up to full thrust.  Reclining back comfortably into his pilot seat, he
settled down for the three-hour journey to his destination.
    As the Eternal Light moved away from the station,
rapidly picking up speed as it departed, a shadow that had attached itself to
the station detached and oriented itself in the same direction as the departing
ship, following slowly, at a distance, so as to ensure that it was not picked
up on any of the watching sensors… 
    *****
    Barely halfway into the journey the aft scanner once again
pinged as it picked up a faint contact that once again, faded from the
scanner.  Jon glanced at the aft scanner with a faint frown.  That was the
third time during this flight that the aft scanner had