Wanderer 3: Tainted Universe by Simon Goodson

sized ships would probably be more than the station could hold off.  Five or six and they wouldn’t stand a chance, and that was without taking the smaller ships into account.  The station’s weaponry could hurt a single frigate badly, though the station would probably still come off worse in that fight.  With several ships of that class any attackers could destroy the station’s defences and take it over.  Or they could just blow it out of space.
    Marsh met Alisha’s eyes.  She’d clearly reached the same conclusion.
    “ Can we get anyone off,” she asked quietly.
    “ No point,” Marsh replied, shaking his head.  “Where would they go?  And they wouldn’t be able to outrun the interceptors that a force that size will have.”
    “ So we just give up?  Just let them walk in here, bringing the stars knows what with them?  After everything we’ve gone through to keep the station safe?”
    “ What else can we do?  Fight to a glorious death?  Go down in flames?”
    “ That might be better,” Alisha said darkly.
    “ Maybe.  But we don’t know that they’ll be tainted.  From what we know there’s a good chance they aren’t.”
    “ Does it matter?  Our people will be in danger as soon as anyone new steps foot on the station.  Sooner or later someone tainted will arrive.”
    “ Sir… it’s seven.  There are seven frigate sized ships.  There’s a lot of smaller ships supporting them too.  I can’t get accurate numbers yet but there’s at least twenty to thirty corvettes then many smaller ships.”
    “ Good work,” Marsh said.  He meant it too.  Picking out those details at extreme range was tough.  The lad might just have the makings of a decent watch officer after all.  If he survived.  If any of them survived.  He addressed the room, forcing confidence into his voice.
    “ Arm all weapons.  We don’t know who or what we are dealing with.  They might seem to have overwhelming force, but appearances can be deceiving.”
    His words got a mixed reception.  Everyone did as he had ordered, but while some seemed confident others were clearly scared.  Marsh didn’t blame them.  He was fighting paralysing fear himself.
    The incoming fleet wasn’t in any hurry.  It approached slowly, allowing its size and firepower to fully dawn on everyone watching.  Several minutes passed in silence, with no chatter in the room and no communications from the approaching fleet.
    Finally a signal came in.  Marsh sat up straighter as an image appeared.  He had to fight not to laugh.  The image that confronted him couldn’t have shouted pirate leader any more unless the man had a parrot sitting on his shoulder.  He had everything from the heavily scarred face to the piercings.  He had the garish clothes and even a black pirates hat perched on his head.
    A quick glance at the tactical display killed the urge to laugh dead.  The man might look ridiculous, but he was in command of a massive amount of firepower.
    Silence stretched out as the man said nothing.  Marsh considered seeing how long that particular game could last, then decided against it.  Each passing moment brought the fleet closer to Greenseed.  He needed to resolve the problem now.  Somehow.
    “Greetings,” Marsh said in as pleasant a voice as he could manage.  “How can we help you?”
    “ Food!”  The man’s voice was gravelly, but to Marsh it sounded forced.  Another affectation.
    “ Food?” Marsh asked, wondering if he’d heard clearly.
    “ Yes.  Food.  You have it, we need it.  You’re going to give it to us.”
    Marsh was caught out.  He’d expected the man to follow up with threats, with references to the immense force at his disposal, with warnings of what refusal would lead to.  Instead the captain had left it all unspoken.  Marsh quickly changed his opinion of the man.  He was far more dangerous than his appearance suggested.  Maybe dressing that way was a deliberate move to make people