of the raids are being invited to the Nine mother ship for a gala event.”
Leara smiled and worked at an arrangement. “That’s nice. So many folks were affected by those raids.”
Ziggy remembered the terror of being hunted and getting caught in the grav beam with a dozen other men and women. Only five of them managed to survive the exams that the Tokkel engaged in.
When Ziggy had gotten the officers of the Nine away from the ship she had waited and then cut the lines to life support with cutters she found in the storage closet.
She knocked out two troopers from behind and stole their weapons, shooting everything that moved. She wounded one of the pilots and took his grasp of the workins of the ship.
Ziggy piloted the ship in a circle, spinning it in the centre of the flight of warships, firing wildly.
Her death spiral continued until the ship started breaking up in the upper atmosphere. There was a set of emergency pods near the bridge and she programmed one to drop her near her home town before she locked in.
The ship had an auto eject for occupied pods when it was in danger. It popped her out a mile over the ocean and the pod jetted to her landing site.
The moment that she landed, she stumbled free of the pod and hid for hours, slowly making her way back home.
It had taken her two days to get back into shape to pretend that nothing had happened, and while the men and women she had released from the experiment station remembered her, the woman that they created via a sketch artist was far more attractive than Ziggy made any claim to be.
The clatter of a set of pots against the table as her mother moved things around brought Ziggy out of her memory.
“They were. They deserve a holiday in their honour. In one way, they brought the Nine back to the area. Back home.”
“You are right, Signy. I know that you were upset during the invasion, but isn’t it great that we survived it with minimal losses?”
Ziggy sighed. “Any lives lost were too many. Do you have the display ready for the Markaqay wedding?”
Leara nodded. “Yes. The delivery van will be here at six.”
Ziggy smiled. “Excellent. Well, I am off for the night. I am just going to have coffee with some friends.”
Ziggy put on her jacket but turned to see the clients who rang the bell as they entered the shop.
Two men in military uniforms walked in.
“Good evening, sirs, we were just about to close but how can we help you?”
The men looked down at data pads and then back up at her. “We are looking for Signy Alora.”
Leara blinked. “That is my daughter’s name, but what do you want with her?”
The men snapped into a sharp salute. “We have orders to bring her in to attend the celebration on the Nine mother ship.”
“Why? She has never been involved with the Nine. Have you, Ziggy?”
Ziggy winced. Her mother hated her nickname. For her to be using it she had to be stressed.
“Not that I am aware of, Mom. Can you let Dad know that nothing is wrong, but he will need to be here for the delivery van tomorrow morning?”
Leara bit her lip. “If you are sure that you want to go with them.”
She sighed. “Mom, I don’t think that I have any choice.”
“Ma’am, we have orders to bring her in. We also have confirming video that she is the woman we are looking for.”
Ziggy smiled and patted her mother’s hand. “It’s fine. Everything will be fine.”
Leara squeezed her hand. “If you are sure. Keep us posted on what is going on.”
Ziggy laughed. “As soon as I figure it out, you will know.”
The two men saluted again and escorted her out of her mother’s flower shop and into a wide bodied skimmer. The flying unit was technology of the Nine. They had been very generous to the settlers on their old world.
She settled on the passenger seat and in seconds they had lifted off the street and were a hundred feet over the city. Crowds were watching them fly away, and Ziggy waved to a few familiar faces.
“Where are
Leara smiled and worked at an arrangement. “That’s nice. So many folks were affected by those raids.”
Ziggy remembered the terror of being hunted and getting caught in the grav beam with a dozen other men and women. Only five of them managed to survive the exams that the Tokkel engaged in.
When Ziggy had gotten the officers of the Nine away from the ship she had waited and then cut the lines to life support with cutters she found in the storage closet.
She knocked out two troopers from behind and stole their weapons, shooting everything that moved. She wounded one of the pilots and took his grasp of the workins of the ship.
Ziggy piloted the ship in a circle, spinning it in the centre of the flight of warships, firing wildly.
Her death spiral continued until the ship started breaking up in the upper atmosphere. There was a set of emergency pods near the bridge and she programmed one to drop her near her home town before she locked in.
The ship had an auto eject for occupied pods when it was in danger. It popped her out a mile over the ocean and the pod jetted to her landing site.
The moment that she landed, she stumbled free of the pod and hid for hours, slowly making her way back home.
It had taken her two days to get back into shape to pretend that nothing had happened, and while the men and women she had released from the experiment station remembered her, the woman that they created via a sketch artist was far more attractive than Ziggy made any claim to be.
The clatter of a set of pots against the table as her mother moved things around brought Ziggy out of her memory.
“They were. They deserve a holiday in their honour. In one way, they brought the Nine back to the area. Back home.”
“You are right, Signy. I know that you were upset during the invasion, but isn’t it great that we survived it with minimal losses?”
Ziggy sighed. “Any lives lost were too many. Do you have the display ready for the Markaqay wedding?”
Leara nodded. “Yes. The delivery van will be here at six.”
Ziggy smiled. “Excellent. Well, I am off for the night. I am just going to have coffee with some friends.”
Ziggy put on her jacket but turned to see the clients who rang the bell as they entered the shop.
Two men in military uniforms walked in.
“Good evening, sirs, we were just about to close but how can we help you?”
The men looked down at data pads and then back up at her. “We are looking for Signy Alora.”
Leara blinked. “That is my daughter’s name, but what do you want with her?”
The men snapped into a sharp salute. “We have orders to bring her in to attend the celebration on the Nine mother ship.”
“Why? She has never been involved with the Nine. Have you, Ziggy?”
Ziggy winced. Her mother hated her nickname. For her to be using it she had to be stressed.
“Not that I am aware of, Mom. Can you let Dad know that nothing is wrong, but he will need to be here for the delivery van tomorrow morning?”
Leara bit her lip. “If you are sure that you want to go with them.”
She sighed. “Mom, I don’t think that I have any choice.”
“Ma’am, we have orders to bring her in. We also have confirming video that she is the woman we are looking for.”
Ziggy smiled and patted her mother’s hand. “It’s fine. Everything will be fine.”
Leara squeezed her hand. “If you are sure. Keep us posted on what is going on.”
Ziggy laughed. “As soon as I figure it out, you will know.”
The two men saluted again and escorted her out of her mother’s flower shop and into a wide bodied skimmer. The flying unit was technology of the Nine. They had been very generous to the settlers on their old world.
She settled on the passenger seat and in seconds they had lifted off the street and were a hundred feet over the city. Crowds were watching them fly away, and Ziggy waved to a few familiar faces.
“Where are
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