Astra Pt. 05

They laughed at that. Jack called out. "Alpha and Bravo Squadrons. Return home. Job well done."

They gave the boys a nice round of applause as Jack walked over hugged both of his mother-in-laws briefly. "Good boys you raised here."

She nodded, "They were wondering if you 2 would show for a race at some point. They have been dying to prove who the 'top cock on the walk is' and you all let them know."

He laughed at that. "We are going to get heading out but I did want to see how the other half was living here on Terra. We will see you up on the Super-Dreadnought tomorrow." She nodded and whispered in Jack's ear, "The boys all know who you are to them. We told them a long time ago."

He nodded, "Well some beautiful ladies and their ornery husband has done a great job of raising them. Just like their daughters." She smiled at Jack for that. Jack went to his craft and mounted up and they called out, "DV Tower, This is Merlin and friends 3 craft to depart." He heard, "Merlin. Outstanding flying. I must ask thou. Is the engine on that craft standard?"

Jack replied, "Negative, it is a Tau Ceti special. Nothing standard about our engines. This one is enhanced with Merlin Magic. You ought to know that by now tower. Merlin is a magician."

He heard him laugh and a couple of others in the background.

He took off heading south with the other two following. He brought up his message and hit her contact. She looked in to see a fighter pilot helmet and glasses staring at her, "Hello?"

He nodded, "Hello. I received word that you were trying to get ahold of me."

She stood wrapped in a towel, "I think you might have..."

He chuckled, "Olivia Pence, Sydney Australia doctor, biologist, and marine biologist. You are her correct?"

He headed out over the water with two on his tail. She looked, "That is my name. How do you know me?"

He forwarded her own message back to her and she looked up, "Jack Travus?"

He nodded, "Check the news. I just trounced some kids at the Death Valley race. Brought in 12 of my 19-year-old sons to fly with my wife Sprits and I. We showed them what our Tau Ceti fighters could do to their fighter racing course."

She shook her head, "I remember hearing about you doing some flying to prove an aircraft design."

He smiled, "That would be the Lancer this is a Lancer version V. I have a second off to my right and one of my Manta-Ray shuttles behind it as we just left the races and we are over the ocean. Headed in your direction. Can you meet us at your spaceport?"

She smiled, "Yes I could. Does this mean you are interested?"

Jack smiled, "I have had over 84 million messages sent to me since getting back. Probably close to double that by now. Met with a few business associates. I found one bride candidate without them mailing me. Then I had my messages filtered for when this would occur again. You are the first I have contacted from a message on this trip.

The question is will you pass the interview with my wives?"

She smiled, "Alright, I can meet you there. Where exactly?"

He called out, "Astra can you arrange a hanger for me and let traffic control know that they have 3 fast movers coming into their pattern in 30 minutes including a pair of Lancer fighters?"

She laughed, "I am informing them I got Hanger C-11 booked for you and traffic control is expecting you. I am forwarding the information to Ms. Pence."

He smiled, "Thank you, Astra. Did you get that Olivia?"

She smiled, "Yes I just got a message from you but from your Dreadnought Base?"

He smiled, "Yes Astra works from there. She sent it over to you. See you soon."

She nodded. She turned to the side and dropped her towel on purpose before killing the comms. He shook his head, "Well she is a flirt who likes to show off her body."

He called out, "Sydney tower, This is CHGF-1 Call sign Merlin inbound with my wing-man CHGF-2 and CHGSH-1Danyelle heading for hanger C-11. Could you give us a glide path please?"

He heard back, "Merlin we are not familiar with your aircraft designation." He sighed, "Tower Merlin is Jack Travus, Tau Ceti Lancer fighter -1 and -2 with my personal shuttle are inbound." He heard, "I still do not know that designator Merlin. It is not a Terra transponder."

He thought to Grace and Sprits, *This guy is an idiot or purposefully trying to slow me down. Which means both. *

He sighed, "Tower request you pass this request to a senior controller. I am on a direct intercept course for your tower. Please advise." He did not get passed on, "Merlin that is not a valid transponder."

He sighed, "Tower please use both hands are remove your cranium from your sphincter. Put a senior controller on now who knows their damned job."

He heard a reply from the same idiot, "Merlin until I have a Terran Identifier I cannot allow you to land. You cannot use that kind of language." Jack punched it right at the tower, "-2 and shuttle please stand by while I introduce myself to the idiot in the tower. Tower I cannot give you what you ask for as I can only give it to a senior controller."

Jack flew within a meter of the tower at full speed. He heard someone shout, "Who the fuck is that?" He hard banked it back around, "This is CHGF-1 callsign, Merlin. This is Jack Travus in the Lancer fighter aircraft that is fully armed and has had someone suffering from an ID 10 T error. Believe it was preceded by a PEBCAK error initiation. The problem exists between keyboard and chair when he cannot send me to a senior control when asked multiple times."

He called out, "Pilot who is your commanding officer."

He laughed, "I am the commanding officer. As in Command Admiral Jack Travus from Tau Ceti Home Guard. You do get the news here? You are aware there are 324 spacecraft in orbit under my command." He hovered the craft right off the nose of the tower. "I have a hanger reserved for 3 craft including my personal shuttle. Hanger C-11.

Shall I contact the President for you in Japan and have him tell you to let me land? Or would you like the name of my Australian Law Firm in order to talk with them about the world of shit you are stirring up."

He finally heard from someone, "Merlin sending you a glide path to the hanger. I will work on educating these 2 on our sister services arrival in this system."

He called out, "-2 and Shuttle Danyelle follow me. He turned and headed into the hanger and set it down as the other 2 arrived. He got out of his fighter but sat up top. Grace came walking over, "I contacted James and had him contact the supervisor of the Spaceport to get his people educated before you lost it and cleared the tower to dust."

Jack shook his head, "I cannot believe the idiots they have here."

He saw a military police vehicle approach with the lights going as he sat there on the edge of his cockpit. The man looked over, "I want all 3 pilots over here. You are all under arrest." He looked over at the man, "We were given a glide path to land and by what authority do you plan to arrest me?"

He looked over, "My own!"

Grace looked over, "That is the wrong thing to say to him."

Jack sighed out, "Astra put me through to the planetary president. What is your name and what was your rank soldier?"

He looked nervous but responded, "Sergeant Foster you fuck, now get down here."

Jack jumped off and floated down with his vid activate and the capital operator looked at him, "Hello Mr. Travus. I will connect you with him now. He swung the screen up nice and big as the President looked in, "Hello Jack, you hear from the Admiral?"

He shook his head, "No. At the moment I am dealing with a private Foster at the Sydney spaceport who thinks he can arrest me for landing in a hanger I reserved and got tower clearance to get into."

He looked over at the man, "This true private Foster?"

He shouted out, "I am fucking Sergeant Foster you fuckers!"

Jack looked at the President, "Permission to educate said idiot Mr. President?"

He looked at Jack, "Yes, Private Foster will be in the brig in just a few moments. I did hear you but as the commander and chief that is insubordination you just shot off."

Jack picked the man up bodily and held him in front of the President. "I am not checking his corpse for loose change. I am merely detaining him until someone who has more than a quarter of a lobe of a brain in their head arrives." The President chuckled, "I just got a message they do not have a foster working for the military at the airport. They are dispatching someone."

Jack looked at the man, "Got something to say do you?"

He struggled against the constraints, "Mr. President you might want to focus your attention on the Admirals search in the Australia area."

The man looked at Jack and Jack nodded. Akio sent him a message, * Your suspicions are right. This guy is hiding something about her. *

Jack nodded, "I definitely hit a nerve on that one. Astra, run his face through facial recognition, his fingerprints, and his DNA if you can."

She appeared next to the president. "Sergeant Arturo Grant Black-ops dishonorably discharged, arrested 19 years ago at the Terra-1 incident. Worked security for the former spaceport commander. Accused and convicted of human trafficking. Should still be in prison."

She sent the information to the President. "Astra confirm my contact is here?"

She checked, "She is at the Spaceport but is being held up by security. Tapping into the communication interface." Jack looked at them, "Greetings gentleman. In a second, I will have your IDs to go with Arturo's here and then we can figure out just where the Admiral s hiding.

In the meantime. Local law enforcement with a member of the GBI is only footsteps away from entering that interrogation room where you are unlawfully holding an Australian citizen."

Astra nodded as the door busted open with local cops and they worked to free the girl from the room. Another man showed up with a pair of MPs' they shook their heads, "We can take it from here."

Aiko sent another message, * Jack these guys are trying to deceive us. *

Jack shook his head, "Aiko take this man and find out if given enough line you can fish for sharks off the great barrier reef using him?"

Aiko came over and took the man and the others pulled guns and fired into an ever-shrinking telekinetic wall. He looked at the president, "I am not about to turn this man who is not military anymore over to fake military police."

The president chuckled, "I have agents arriving momentarily."

2 minutes later and they arrived with the girl who came across. "They kept asking me what my business with Jack Travus was and if I was an alien?"

He nodded, "The xenophobic group. This one of your agents, Mr. President?"

He nodded, "Yes I had his boss send me his ID."

Jack looked over, "You got these 3 here, impersonating the military this one attempted kidnapping. The other two attempted murder. 2 in the tower that if they are controllers, they either failed the piss test and need to be examined or they are working with this group. Astra, confirm who is on duty at station-8 communication array since I arrived in Ireland and then arrived here in Australia?"

She looked over, "One woman. An Amanda Sawyer."

He nodded, "Contact James through a back-channel communication and have her brought in for questioning because someone has been tracking my movement and trying to slow me down from getting here today."

She nodded, "Right. Working it."

He looked over, "Give it 20 minutes. Then head to the station. Lock yourself in the shuttle with shields up. Sprits, provide cover fire to the shuttle." Jack sent a message, "Francis, something strange is going on; meet me at Luna-1. Come alone will be in my fighter." He sent it up to his account, "Astra send that off to a dummy account. "She laughed alright."

Jack looked over, "If I am fired upon is the use of deadly force authorized Mr. President?"

He looked over and nodded, "If you are fired upon. Jack. Then yes."

Jack nodded and got into his craft, "Tower this is Merlin departing C-11 and heading for Luna-1."

He heard back, "Cleared Merlin."

He shook his head, "They are not that good Mr. President."

He nodded, "True. It is as if they wanted you to kill these guys."

Jack nodded, "Exactly. Martyrs for the cause types."

He fired up his engines and he left the hanger and took off straight up and toward the south pole but working to break orbit. He checked his scanners and picked up no ID's but saw 3 terra military vessels off the bat. He fired it up to 4x and headed away from the planet. He circled toward Luna-1 at a distance. He thought, "Astra what do you make of this?" He heard nothing. Jamming communication.

He took it to 6x speed and Astra broke through, "Jack?" He replies, "Yes Astra, Setting up voice and video recorders on my craft. They were jamming my communication. Inform my troops to take the bases to the dark side of the moon and do not interfere. She nodded and was gone.

He dropped it to 3x and spun to face back toward his pursuers. He had 4 scout class craft. "This is Merlin to unidentified Terra military aircraft. Your transponders are off. Calling in Starbase to check for piracy of military aircraft."

He got a man, "You stand down. You are not using a Terra ID."

He shook his head, "You are not using one at all. I am using one, you just choose not to recognize it. One of Civilian Gonzales lackies or does she just strap a big hairy set on to take you for a ride. Regardless I hereby order you to surrender in the name of the President."

He looked over, "You are not even human. You do not order me to do shit!"

He smiled, "Well we established you work for the disgraced former Admiral in hiding. Probably take it up the ass from her or do you have a wife she likes to bang on the side?"

He looked out over the vid at Jack, "You are a fucking fool."

Jack shook his head, "Why because there are four of you approaching. I have advanced sensors aboard my craft. Running a DNA scan and searching for the Admiral."

He had 2 who fired at him and hit his shields and cut them in half. He fired the rail gun into the first craft hitting it in the nose and shoving it out through the engines. He called out, "Ouch that looks like it hurt. Don't you wish you had better weapons now?"

He got hit again by the second craft and then a third. He switched to secondary shields and fired into the bridge of the secondary ship and sent it cartwheeling as bodies went out. "Two down. Two shots. He pointed his craft at the third one and kicked it to 6x. He did not even bother to dodge as he put the shot angled down below the bridge and toward the core.

That pushed the front of the craft into the power core which had already ruptured and then exploded. He looked over, "Eeny, meeny, miny...That leaves Moe. Astra, connect me to the scout that has yet to fire." She brought up the screen and smiled, "Hello Admiral, Jack would like to talk with you."

Jack appeared on the screen, "I know she called you Admiral. You know what they call a retired female admiral. Miss. As in your aim has missed the mark."

She looked at Jack, "I got you now destroying 3 Terra military vessels."

Jack called out, "Astra play the message for the formal Admiral and fugitive of justice."

She saw the President give Jack direction to use lethal force if fired upon. She looked over, "That changes nothing."

Jack looked over, "Yes it does. You will fire on me and I will follow the President's direction. You do not and I capture your ship. You space yourself and I capture it on camera with you trying to be a martyr. Astra, kill engines, disable core self-destruct, lock all command function except weapons, and comms. Seal all doors."

She called out, "Done."

He nodded, "Left you weapons if you want to try and force me to kill you."

Jack flew at her and grabbed her from the nose to face her, "Having others sacrifice themselves for you for your cause is one thing. Doing it yourself is another." He pushed it over toward Terra-7.

"Terra-8 tower contact GBI let them know the traitor Gonzales is in custody. Astra, send footage of miss Gonzales capture to all local news networks along with gun camera footage and the president's authorization to use deadly force if fired upon."

Astra laughed, "Sending."

He heard, "This is terra-8 you have illegally seized a military vessel."

Jack smiled, "You neglected to say Tower Amanda Sawyer. I am taking her to Terra-7. It is closer and not a military station as she is a civilian. Astra, please disable weapons on the captured scout and open-airlock releases.

You are inside of Terra-8 which I own so you know your arrest is imminent."

Just as he set it down on Terra-7 shuttle pads. He watched as GBI agents swarmed the craft. He landed and exited the craft, "Astra, confirm her medical records show she received the cure."

Astra replied, "She was one of the first military officers injected with the cure. She had uterine cancer as well that was cured. Those files were sealed about the time of the Terra-1 incident. By herself. The technician who gave her the shot was found murdered a week after the Terra-1 incident. They never found a killer or motive. Her name was Misha Turner."

Jack walked up to Gonzales and held up a hand for the agents to stop. He looked at her, "You are a real piece of work. Did you kill Misha Turner yourself or did you have someone else do it for you?" Her eyes went big in shock and he knew as she protested, "I don't know what you are implying."

Jack grabbed her restraints summoned his sword and cut off both hands. He pushed her back to the agents. "She has the cure in her system. Has since before the Terra-1 incident. Give it 3 days. Get her a physical and a blood test, it will confirm it all.

She can try and explain how she got her hands back to her co-conspirators, those that are in hiding still, and the Terran people. Her now unsealed military records are being forwarded to the media as well. It cured your cancer. You are welcome to that."

He threw her severed manacled hands down at her feet and walked away. Astra responded, "It was sent along with the surveillance footage from the docks. Some might question the action."

He thought, "Giving her a shot afterward would have fixed her hands. This just confirmed it for them as she has more than a standard shot in her. Her hands have already started to regrow. I am guessing she got it from one of my offspring later."

He spoke, "Terra-7 please have Amanda Sawyer on Terra-8 taken into custody for attempting to hijack tower control, illegally jacking into station communication streams, treason, and conspiracy in attempted kidnapping and murder."

He heard, "Merlin this is Divine Grace, we have Amanda Sawyer over at Terra-8. We grabbed her exiting the comms room. GBI has her in custody."

Jack nodded, "There are 3 wrecked scouts. One is in pieces. The other two, if someone was in an EVA suit they might have lived. Terra-3 Wing commander, you got a tractor beam to collect space junk?"

He heard him sigh, "I was alerted and saw the wreckage. What in the fuck did you hit that thing with?"

Jack replied, "You saw the interview that showed the destruction of the Excalibur. A quarter-scale version of a reverse-engineered copy of that weapon; one shot on each. Just like when I got you the Lancers. I saw the threat and addressed the need.

The Dreadnought bases, battleships, and destroyers have full-scale versions. The fighters and scouts quarter-scale versions. I did come back to try and help. I got one more demonstration to do. Home Guard Commander Zack, I need King Arthur out here for a live-fire demonstration. Minimal crew and EVA suit."

He heard back, "Understood Admiral, King Arthur is coming toward you at the station.