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eyes. These rebellious traitors would dare attack official Imperial shuttle-craft? His orders were to not start a war with these ‘revolutionaries.’ But traitors and rebels deserved only one thing, a noose. That is what Grigory had been taught to believe by his family. He was loyal to the core when it came to his beliefs. His family was deeply entrenched in the ‘movement’ and his goal in life was to be one of its commanders. His Task Force was originally put together to fight piracy on the frontier. His Fleet issued orders for this deployment had been to not cause trouble and to monitor the situation. The Cabal had long term goals concerning this region of space. The inner circle had sent him new orders which, while official Fleet order, were the exact opposite of the originals. He was to stop the conference and if possible eliminate its leaders. This was his task! To get what he really wanted he needed to prove his worth. Even though his ships were a bit old, they were enough to blast these upstarts back to the stone age!
     
    He turned to his right and barked the order to launch fighters. The shuttles were already doomed, but his fighters would be able to sweep the field of these rebel fighters. Captain Hendrick Van der Decken gave the orders and the four half strength fighter squadrons sprang into action. Because the carriers were older, the newer high tech fighters would not fit in them. The strategies that the Commodore used called for quick strikes against highly movable targets, such as pirates. Like the rest of the fleet, the Red Falcon fighters were not the newest model. These fighters had been the backbone of the Fleet during the last war. They were quick and highly maneuverable, perfect for fighting pirates with. Unfortunately, as the shuttle force was finding out, these were not pirates.
     
     
    Commander Justin Jones was shouting words of encouragement to his troops. He was excited to be chosen to lead this unit of ESS troops into battle. His counterpart Captain Lightfoot, the Marine commander was on board one of the other ships. Between the two forces they should be able to put this rebellion down. The goal was to take the station. His troops were specially trained at close quarter fighting. With the fleet backing them up Justin could not imagine failing in his mission.
     
    “Sir, we are picking up a swarm of fighters coming in from the station.”
     
    Justin jerked around in surprise. He walked over to the cockpit and stuck his head in. “What was that airman? Did you say something?”
     
    “Yes, sir. There is a large group of fighters approaching us. They appear to be in a modified battle formation. Do you have any orders, sir?”
     
    “Are they friendly? They could be an escort from the station. The Commodore did order them to stand down.” He turned to the co-pilot. “Contact Fleet Command, ask if the fighters are an escort. Stay in formation for now.”
     
    The two pilots glanced at each other, but followed orders. Crossing the ESS was not healthy to the career.
     
    Justin stayed in the cockpit and watched the radar screens. The formation of fighters continued to close. He felt a tap on his arm and looked to the right. The co-pilot was tapping his helmet. Justin realized that he had taken his helmet off.
     
    “Sir, the Fleet says that they are NOT, repeat NOT an escort. We are recommended to take evasive action and they suggest we return to base.” The co-pilot looked very anxious.
     
    Return? And fail a mission? Screw that! He turned back to the cockpit. “Action stations! Get those guns manned and prepare for battle.” The ESS troops in the shuttle sprang into action and manned the defensive stations.
     
    “Contact Captain Lightfoot. Inform him that we are continuing on to the station. Have his troops man the guns! Pilot, increase speed we need to avoid these fighters and attack that station. The ESS never runs from a fight!”
     
    The co-pilot sent the message, then turned to