Laser bolts and carbon missiles shot out from Boss Hog in a dense shower.
Elaine was pissed off, and not concerned about niceties like aiming at a particular opponent, or even waiting until they were within range. Her thumbs were jammed tightly over the firing controls.
The first return shots came from Upchuck's fleet, the fighters still too distant to do any damage. Elaine ignored them and kept firing. Already she was out of missiles.
A laser blast hit the underside of the ship, jarring her in her seat. Immediately Elaine yanked the flight yoke back and began twisting around, laser blasts shooting out in all directions like a mirrorball on fast forward.
Gradually, she became aware that the fighters weren't firing on her anymore. On the radarscope, Upchuck's fighters were zooming out from her current position. Beyond them was an even larger group of fighters, along with several squat oblong shapes.
Elaine levelled off and looked around. Whoever this new group was, they were certainly doing her a favour. It was hard to follow the battle on the radarscope, but it looked like they were winning, too. Most of the energy blasts seemed to be coming from their ships, and several of the dots representing Upchuck fighters winked out. The large oval smudge that she assumed to be Upchuck's ship suddenly took off, two of the large oblong shapes pursuing it.
In less than a minute, the battle was over. The newcomers had won. The swarm of tiny fighter ships returned to largest of the remaining oblongs, then vanished. The oblong shape began to move toward Boss Hog.
Elaine was immediately on her guard again. But it obviously wouldn't do to flee, they'd pick her up immediately. So she waited, tensely.
Soon the ship was close enough for her to pick up by site. It was a huge cruiser, as large as a skyscraper shot into space. It had no identifying markings. Elaine couldn't think of anyone with the resources to field a ship like this. Who were these people?
A beep on the intercom. They wanted to talk to her. Elaine sighed, and flicked open the channel.
A middle-aged woman with long brown hair appeared on the intercom screen. She looked patient and sensible. She wore a thick brown coat over a smart red and green uniform.
Elaine recognised the colours, and went cold.
The woman, on the other hand, looked surprised to see her. "Elaine Marley?" she asked. "I was expecting Guybrush. My name's Kate Andrews. I'm Captain of the Galactic Police. Can I ask where Guybrush is? I must say, it's a surprise to see you here."
Elaine found her tongue. "I wasn't aware there was a Galactic Police squad," she said. She watched the periphery of the intercom screen. People could be seen walking behind Captain Kate Andrews. As far as Elaine could see, they were all female.
"Well, we've only just been formed," said Kate. "The recent escalation of pirate activity has alarmed Earth Government, and a decision has been made that there should be an official law and order presence in the region."
"That's good," said Elaine. "Well, I'm sorry to say this, but Guybrush is dead."
Kate frowned at her. "Dead? Oh. How did this happen?"
"Down on Ganymede. You'll probably find his body somewhere in Exus-1, assuming it hasn't blown away with everything else."
"You didn't actually see him die?" asked Kate.
"No. But he's dead, no question," said Elaine.
"Oh. Well, we'll pursue that lead in any case. It might not matter so much in any case, since we still have you."
Elaine sat perfectly still. Not a flicker crossed her face. "Me?" she asked. "Am I right in thinking this has something to do with Pael?"
Kate nodded, smiling. "Indeed it does, Miss Marley. I won't beat around the bush: Upchuck is wanted for acts of gross piracy, specifically in connection with the assault on Pael. Now we can catch him ourselves, that won't be a problem. But we need to build a solid case against him, and to do that we need witnessess. Like you."
"And what would be in it for me?" asked Elaine.
The question didn't perturb Kate; she'd obviously expected it. "We've already offered assistance to those refugees that've fled Pael. We can rebuild the station for you, good as new. And with some lucrative trading contracts back on Earth. Sound good?"
"Sounds wonderful," said Elaine. "Of course, I won't accept."
Kate looked at her, and shook her head once. "Might I ask why not?"
"I'm not really one for taking handouts," said Elaine. "I'll rebuild Pael, but with my own men and my own money. Besides, I get the feeling you haven't exactly laid all the cards on the table."
Kate waited for her to continue. Eventually she said, "And you won't reconsider?"
"Maybe things might look differently in a few days," said Elaine. "You can consider this a final decision, for now."
"As you wish," said Kate. "I'm sending contact details to your shipboard computer. If you reconsider, or just if you need some help, open up channel 34."
"Sure," said Elaine lazily. "Guess I better get going, hey? I'm sure you guys have a lot to do."
Kate nodded eagerly. "We certainly do. The development of the outer solar-"
Elaine cut the intercom and started off. Her blood boiled. The Government. Here. On her turf. And what plans did they have? There was more to this than just restoring law-and-order, whatever that meant...
"That was a very brave thing you did," said a voice behind her.
Elaine whirled around.