Free Defender: A Terran Times Tale by Viola Grace

Chapter One
    S cotia Pickering was enjoying coffee, or what passed for it, with another one of her kind.
    Christiena Montague was snickering with amusement as they compared notes on their last assignment.
    “I swear, Teeny, I thought that the charge was never going to blow.” Scotia smiled.
    “It took a while. I was shocked. Normally, your charges are faster than the speed of thought. Well, they are as fast as thought.” Teeny sipped at her cup and sighed. “One day, they will get the blend right. Until then, I will hope and pray for more contraband and a pot to boil for it.” Scotia laughed. “It was the atmosphere, I swear it. I have never tried to start the explosion through a haze so thick before.”
    “It was like pea soup, wasn’t it?” Teeny shuddered, her red hair flipping around her features.
    It always amazed Scotia that Teeny was so effective at her job as extraction specialist. It didn’t seem like the diminutive redhead would be capable of strong-arming young fugitives off their holiday worlds. Even for rich aliens, a youngster out past curfew meant they had to take steps.
    Teeny had peeled youngsters off thirty-two pleasure planets in the last five years. It had been funny that she ran into Scotia on her last assignment.
    “I wish they would post more Terrans together.” Teeny sighed wistfully.
    “You know why they don’t. One greedy bastard and we become targets.” Scotia sipped at her make-believe coffee.
    “I wish I could get one of those tattoos.” Teeny sighed again. “I wish a lot of things.” Scotia tried to perk up. “So, where are you off to this time?”
    Teeny stretched. “I am going on vacation! There is a great beach world with thick jungles and the feel of Hawaii. I have a month of sun, sand and tanning. Well, burning in my case, but I don’t care. It will be lovely just to lie back and not think of anything.”
    Scotia felt envy. “That sounds wonderful. I wish I could join you.”
    “Where are you off to next?” Teeny asked then winced. “Sorry. I forgot.”
    Scotia specialized in demolition, destruction of items that the Alliance left behind and other species were trying to strip down for their own use. It was her job to destroy what she could easily get a hold of without loss of life. She didn’t usually advertise where she was heading next.
    “Not a problem. I was just glad to be able to offer you a lift.” Scotia winked. “It’s so nice to see one of ours now and again.”
    Teeny lifted the pot and refilled her cup. “I heartily concur. When do you depart?”
    “The next rotation. I have to try to hit a slingshot to the jump point.” Teeny blinked. “I rarely fly myself. A what?”
    “Oh, to increase speed and save fuel, you skate your ship close to a star and let its orbit whip you around. The key is to pick the right moment to jet off, because if you miscalculate, you will continue around again, wasting the fuel you are trying to save.” She grinned. “I have more successes than screw-ups but not by much.”
    Teeny laughed. “I will wish you success and a happy assignment. I hope we meet again, but if we don’t, I am glad we did.”
    “Two salmon meet in the ocean and discover that they came from the same stream. I hope the currents are favourable again.” Scotia got to her feet and hugged Teeny goodbye. Her eyes pricked with tears as she said farewell to the only Terran she had seen in two years.
    She sighed and stiffened her shoulders as she made her way to her shuttle.
    Scotia used a bio scan to get into the secure hangar, and she nodded at the silently working men in high-security uniforms loading the explosives onto her ship.
    A worker with a familiar face came to her and handed her the manifest and the target. She nodded. Scotia took care to verify all aspects of the cargo. “Where are the electronics?” Toller pointed, and she opened the box, making sure that none of the detonation modules had been keyed to a specific signal. Fool me