Free Law's End by Glenn Douglass

a
masterful job of concealing it. "You think they're here for us, but
why?"
Shaking his head at the perceived continuing
evasion Kassad keyed the communications system. "Armhamon, this is
Captain Kassad Mir of the independent vessel Sabha. We are engaged
in a rescue mission beyond the Law's End barrier."
Discretely Kassad performed a passive scan of
the Armhamon. You never knew what might get pressed into service as
a Lawship. Some were repurposed military craft while others were
glorified freighters with improved sensors and a few weapons
mounted where the frame wouldn't buckle under their firing.
******
The Armhamon was named for the wealthy
politician who had sponsored her. Running on a law and order
platform as an expedient way of distinguishing themselves from the
other candidates the commissioning of the ship had captured the
public imagination. That political victory and the brief career it
had fueled were only the origin story for a ship that had gone on
to win considerable local fame on her own.
In no small part the fame of the Armhamon had
been driven by the ruthless ambition of its captain, Tereth
Andrews. Captain Andrews was a hard woman who had dedicated herself
to law and order mainly out of an addiction to imposing her will
upon others with 'the law' being a convenient justification. It was
an attitude that had won her few friends and more than a few
admirers from those in position to direct her tendencies.
"Status?" Andrews demanded, her blue and white
jumpsuit uniform accentuating the hard lines of her lean frame as
she strode onto the now accelerating Armhamon's bridge.
The crewman at the communications station
replied, "We warned them off. They responded by invoking rescue
mission priority status." The last words drew another predatory
grin from the sensor operator.
Andrews dismissed the notion with a sneer as
she took her place in the Armhamon's command chair. No one needed
to be told that the captain had assumed command of the situation.
No one was surprised when the captain diverted control of sensors
and communications stations to her own console.
******
There was such a long pause that Kassad was
ready to believe that they would be allowed to proceed unmolested
when the Armhamon's reply came. "Rescue mission is it? Sabha we do
not recognize your mission as legitimate. Shut down your engines
and prepare to be boarded."
Of immediate concern for Kassad was the reality
that there were some Lawships sponsored by less reputable polities.
Some Lawships became self sponsoring and pushed the boundaries of
their legal powers. Every once in a while a Lawship went completely
rogue and had to be hunted down by other Lawships.
Demanding a halt to a rescue operation was
going too far and Kassad wasn't shy about saying so. "You can
refuse to recognize the legitimacy of our mission all you want,
however you have no authority to interfere in a stated rescue
operation." Rescue missions, particularly in the vastness of space
where seconds counted, were granted broad legal protections. "I
have a fifteen person scientific expedition trapped in Lawless
space. If we come back without any bodies then you can charge us
with falsely evoking emergency status." Falsely declaring an
emergency was a serious charge and having his ship confiscated was
the least hardship that could be inflicted on him.
Undaunted by Kassad's protest the Armhamon
sternly replied, "Sabha, if you enter Lawless space we will be
waiting to take your ship when you emerge, emergency or not."
Kassad smirked in amusement. It was a bold
threat. Then again it wouldn't be the first time Kassad had found
it necessary to sneak past a Lawship.
After setting aside the threat Kassad
considered the advantages of a consultation with the opposition and
in exceedingly innocent tones inquired, "Armhamon, is there
something you can tell me that would convince me that this is not a
rescue mission? I admit the contracting party is not above
suspicion, however to the best of my