Target: Cambridge

[onca]

Pete finished downing his drink at the bar on Planet Kurile. Normally a quiet place, he had just brought over a load of technical experts from Cambridge to this strange experimental outpost in the green cloud of Sigma-17, so there was a little more activity than usual.

Suddenly there was a commotion in the bar and outside. Pete put down his empty glass, motioning the barkeep for no refill, and walked out.

Outside, everything denoted panic and consternation. "Have you heard," said a voice in the general meleiu; "Cambridge has been bombed!" said another.

Rushing back in, Pete yelled at the barkeep to tune the monitor into GNN.

"... just to recap, a shipload of MOX has been flown into the atmosphere of planet Cambridge. An upper-atmosphere nuclear explosion has resulted..... Casualty numbers will probably run into the millions. Reports are confirmed that it was not an accident, but the work of the terrorist extremists known as the Phantoms...."

There were gasps and swearing from all people therein, but Pete did not hear them. He was running to his ship on the landing pad, still warm from his trip in.

"Get that bloody thing gassed up and ready," He yelled to the deck controller. "I'm going back to Cambridge!"

**********

@Message_To: [SF] high command

@Comm_ID: [IND]CaboverPete

Sir,

I'm sure all my [IND] mates join me in sharing your grief and outrage at this atrocity.

With your permission I will speed to Cambridge with a shipment of medical supplies for the injured. Currently I am docked at Kurile.... I will hop over to Atka for pharms, then to Cambridge with all possible speed. I'll flyby the O-41 neutron star rather than going around to save time, and cruise thru the asteroid field of O-5.... ETA 48 hours, as long as your don't mind me coming in hot and glowing green!

Once there I will also help ferrying refugees off-world if needed.

Consider myself and my ship at your disposal.

@Out