The Camaleon Chronicals

[oZoneRanger]

Phillip DeLaFontain was having a pretty good day. As he walked down the causeway linking Toronto station to the docking facilities, he stopped to look out of one of the large observation portholes.

"There she is...ohhh my oh my..she sure is sexy." he thought to himself. Outside, in the vacuum of space, coming out of the trade lanes and lining up to dock was icTs newest acquisition. She was a beautiful ship. He knew the purchase was a big gamble. His better judgement told him to hold off, to wait it out, to take solid steps forward. But he had never been much for patience.

He continued to walk down the gangway to the docks, physically bumping into every third or fourth person he came across, not being able to take his eyes of her.

He caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the oval window. He was smiling and it surprised him. He had not seem himself with a smile on in a long time. "Damn I doooo look good." he thought to himself.

He watched as the ship slowed to a crawl and lined up behind 3 other transports, setting herself up between Huron and the space station. "That ship is so sexy, it even makes that ugly rock of a planet look good."

"tweekbeep" his commsbadge breaking the moment for him. "Mister DeLaFUENTE", people passing by glanced at him drawn to the pitch and tone of the voice coming from the speaker on his badge. He didn't care, he just purchased a fraken Yacht and nothing, absolutely nothing was going to ruin it for him.

He tapped the badge. "Yes Maria?, and when you respond, can you remember not to yell into the microphone" he smiled, he had baited her, and he waited for her tirade.

"pinche cucaracha..you know Mister LaFuente...I was gonna give to you some good news ..but I not gonna tell you now...you find it out for yourself..you ugly man..no you not even dat high on the.." He tapped his badge twice to cut the transmission, leaving her in mid sentence.

His smile even bigger now. He had managed to set her off, instead of her goating him, multiplying the enjoyment of the moment.

He breathed a great big breath of satisfaction. "Could this sun cycle get any better?" He thought to himself, as he looked out the large window at his retirement plan, slowly fading out of view and cueing up to dock.

"Attention Toronto Station.." Warning sirens and emergency lights springing to action. "..All hands to battle stations.." His good mood and smile turning instantly to panic. "..Multiple inbound boogies..." He plastered his face to the space glass. "..Civilians move to assigned safe zones.."

Around him people started to run in one direction of the causeway or the other, desperate to get to the airlocks of the station or the docks.

If there was on place you did not want to be in an attack on Toronto station it was on the long corridor connecting the station to the docks. Sepia class stations were designed for more habitable planets where the need to impress dignitaries and commerce partners required you gave them a nice view and that the defensive infrastructure of the planet could protect it. The only reason they had built one way out in Ontario was the Platinum on Huron, more out of a need to lay claim to it, than a need to impress anyone. "Attention Toronto Station" the alarm started to repeat itself. "We have multiple inbound boogies...."

"No...not today..not now...it's not even insured yet..." his face molded to the smooth glass, his heart shrinking in fear, desperately trying to get a glimpse of his new toy and see if it had docked.

Before he realized it, he was alone on the gangway. The air locks on both ends coming to a close and the thick metal shields on the outside of the long corridor starting to slowly come down and lock in place, covering the exposed observation windows. It was station protocol, if you got stuck between the locks during an attack, it was your own fault. The whole process took less than a minute.

He sunk down to the floor, his back to the now impregnable windows, his knees flat against his chest. "How could it go from so good to so bad so quick" he thought. "Just my Fraken luck."

The alarms continued to sound. He just sat there blank faced and at the mercy of the moment. He hit is comm badge. Nothing. Again, station protocol, all civilian frequencies inside the station were turned off during an attack. There was nothing he could do or say to anyone. 10 seconds later he felt the first shock of explosions vibrating through the station.