Phoenix Feathers, Part I

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All of the characters, moons, space stations, and horses of this 'verse belong to Joss, and if I happened to create one or two new ones along the way, then they should belong to him anyway.

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In Horizon City, where aircars of all shapes and sizes sped back and forth amidst gleaming buildings that seemed to reach into space, the area designated as a spaceport was something of a formality. It was not nearly as impressive as its surroundings, but it was just as busy. In one of its many Traffic Control towers, however, there was still time enough for one rather inexperienced controller to undergo a thorough dressing-down.

He squirmed before his supervisor’s glare. “Sir, I’ve reported the incident as it happened. The Goliath-class freighter reported engine trouble and was instructed to activate its hazard beacon and stay on course.”

“And who,” the Supervisor grated, “gave them that order?”

The junior controller gulped. “I did, sir.”

“Did you also take it upon yourself to examine their entry pattern, that they really were experiencing a malfunction?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I don’t suppose it occurred to you that they were faking it? Simulating a critical engine malfunction is the oldest trick in the smuggler’s book!” The Supervisor saw the mortified look on the junior controller’s face and calmed himself, his tone softening. “It’s all right, son. Now you know. Unfortunate, that’s all. No-good criminals like that should be seen to.”

“Sir,” the controller ventured, “there’s more. Their last known course would have taken them directly over the Blackout Zone in Sector 9. We lost radar contact with them for the night, but it’s re-established now. They haven’t gone anywhere just yet.”

The Supervisor’s eyes widened. “Dispatch a team to those coordinates right now! We’ve got to bring them in.”

The Supervisor sprang out of his seat and hurried to the door of the room, thoughts dark, while the junior controller, still seated, stared