by Chris Hechtl
His eyes cut to the departing ships. His lips curled exposing his teeth in a snarl. “One day,” he murmured. “One day,” he vowed louder, shaking in rage.
---<>---<>---
“I don't like this hacking thing. Captain Post is right. We need to eliminate that as a threat,” Commander Esenly stated in a briefing with the senior staff before the jump. She turned to the communication's officer.
Brian waved a hand. “I don't like it any more than you do, China, but it's going to be tricky to figure out a way to scrub the communications while keeping our ears out.”
“Unless we cut that,” the captain said. All eyes turned to her. “We can cut our communications. Physically cut it if it comes to that. In fact,” she looked thoughtful for a moment then turned her eyes on the Lieutenant Lotor and Lieutenant Commander Theiler. “I want you two to cut our communication's computers out of the mainframe network.” Brian sucked in a protesting breath, but she held up a hand. “A physical firewall is the only way to be sure. We're also going to need to institute some sort of protocol on dealing with hack attempts. A way to reboot those systems effected. Look into that,” she said, turning her eyes from him to the chief engineer. Both men nodded.
“I also want you to look into using whisker lasers to communicate. When we're in tight, it should work nicely,” she said. Both men nodded.
“Ma'am, what is the plan for the picket in B-95a3?” Brian asked.
“Don't worry about that, we've got it covered,” Commander Esenly said with a smirk. He looked to her and then to the captain. He saw the identical expression on his skipper's face. Slowly he nodded.
---<>---<>---
Twenty-three weeks later, the Massachusetts force jumped into the B-95a3 star system. They were aware of the picketing frigate due to their prior intelligence. Captain Post ordered his ships to go into stealth while the Courier 9913 crossed the star system towards the Nuevo Madrid jump point.
He had thought the frigate would have come off the jump point, but she didn't move from her position. Silently the force crept into the star system stalking her.
---<>---<>---
Hecate's crew was thoroughly bored in B-95a3. They had done the duty four times despite the number of other frigates and warships in Protodon. Apparently Admiral White wanted to keep them on the post since he had trained many of the other ships in fleet drills. It wasn't fair Lieutenant Rico Riot thought as he sipped at his water. “This sucks,” Jim sighed.
“Tell me about it,” the XO said with another sigh. Captain Gruber had warned them against wishing something would happen. Now something had, the courier had arrived and they couldn't do a damn thing about it. If they tried to intercept her, they'd just waste their fuel. There was no intercept course that could get to her in time. So, they watched and waited. Waited for what was the question. Waited for the time to run out so they could go back to Protodon, stare at the planet, and then go back? Rico shook his head.
At least Ham had gotten her transfer out of the shitty detail he thought. The neochimp had been promoted to Jig and had been transferred back to Antigua to man one of the new ships coming out of the yards. Again, a bunch of ships coming out and who got the shit detail? He shook his head. His sour thoughts weren't helping the morale he reminded himself.
The XO wished they'd placed themselves more favorably in the star system, but their orders said to stay on the jump point at least until time to return to Protodon.
The long hours on duty staring at the empty star system was somewhat maddening to the crew. There were reports of ghosts on different shifts. Even the skipper had seen one last shift. It was a concern; they could be jumping at shadows, Rico worried.
“Sir, we're getting something!” Adel said.
“And that something is?”
“Ah … damn it, I lost it,” the helmswoman snarled, banging her fist.
“What was it?”
“Neutrino detection. Bearing oh niner five by mark two.”
“Positive two? Range?” Jim asked.
“No range. I just had the bearing. I was trying to get a better location when it … there it is again!”
“And it's gone again,” Jim said. He frowned thoughtfully. “Isn't there a planet on that bearing?”
“Yes …,” the helmswoman swore. “You think it's coming from the planet?”
“I don't know,” the computer tech murmured, tapping at his controls. He pulled up the video feed and overlaid the neutrino hit. He then zoomed in. Lady Luck was on his side; he immediately saw the black specks. “What the …?”
“What is it Jim?” Rico asked, voice picking up as he saw the computer tech straighten up and his voice pick up.
“It's something—black specs in front of the planet. I'm running it through the computers. We've mapped every spec of this star system.”
“Always something we've overlooked,” Rico said, now disinterested.
“Sending you the feed now, sir. You too, Adel,” Jim said, flicking a hand to send them the link.
The officer opened it and stared. “You can't get a better resolution on it?”
“No, sir. It's about … twelve million kilometers out.”
“Course?”
“I was working on that …,” the computer tech finished inputting the request. The computer immediately spat out an answer. His eyes widened. “Right for us!” he yelped, looking up in alarm.
“Get the hyperdrive up,” Rico said, rising out of his chair. “Now.” His thumb flipped up the protective cover, and then it stabbed down on the big red button. Immediately the lighting changed to red, and the klaxon of red alert sounded throughout the ship.
“What do we have, Rico?” the captain demanded over the intercom. They could hear him breathing so he must be on his way.
“Sir, ships are closing fast less than twelve million kilometers out,” the XO said, eyes locked on the status board. The hyperdrive was already spooling up, but the computer was going through the basic safety prestart list instead of hurrying it along.
“I need to get to engineering, sir; the computer ….”
“Go!” the skipper said from behind him as he entered the bridge at a run. He had his suit over his arm, but he was in his boxers. The XO brushed past him and rushed out the locked door to engineering.
“Adel ….”
“We're running the numbers now sir. It'll be close!” Adel said, voice rising.
“Steady. What are we talking about here? And how did they get in the star system?”
“That courier, sir,” Jim said, staring at his screens. The skipper looked over the man's shoulder as he pulled his skinsuit on. Jim had his screens split, and one was running a back course. “If the 'puter's right, they came in at the same time as that courier did.”
“They used it as a distraction,” the captain said as he shrugged the top of his suit on. He grimaced; it had been a while since they'd had a suit drill. He felt fat as he sealed up. He racked his helmet as he sat down. He left the gloves in his lap as he checked the status board. The hyperdrive stats started to shoot up like rockets. Rico must have gotten to engineering he thought just as the Veraxin navigator came scuttling in.
“About time,” the captain scolded mildly.
“Sorry, sir. Suiting up with this bioform is tricky,” the ensign stated as he took his station. “Hyperdrive is spooling up. We're jumping?”
“Yes. Get on that now. Set course for Protodon, max speed.”
“Max?”
“Just do it!” the captain snarled as Jim put a freeze frame of the enemy ships up on the main screen. All eyes cut to it. They immediately noted the formation of ships. The computer zoomed in and then smoothed the image out. It then locked onto each ship and ran a check.
“That's a battle cruiser!” Jim said, half rising out of his chair. “Two of ‘em!” he said.
“Settle down, Jim. Time?”
“Time to jump—four minutes five seconds. Time to engagement range—four minutes.”
&nb
sp; “Shit, we're gonna die,” Jim muttered.
“Not yet. Do what you can to hurry that checklist along,” the skipper growled. “Bring us about. Max course out of their engagement basket.”
“It'll mess up my calculations,” Ensign Thr'll protested.
“Deal with it in hyper, if we can get there in one piece.”
---<>---<>---
“We missed. They'll warn them,” Captain Roznine snarled over the captain's link as the frigate dived into hyperspace. It bothered him that Captain Post had limited them to energy weapons. He could have taken the ship out with a missile broadside or at least crippled it.
“No matter. We'll catch up. Prepare your ships for jump,” Captain Post ordered. “We will see you in Protodon.”
“Good hunting all,” Captain Mueller said. Captain Roznine clenched his fist in front of the camera, then dropped it in favor of a starch salute.
Captain Post did the calculations. Based on the class of ship he estimated she would most likely top out in the mid octaves of Gamma band. If she had stayed on post for a while, her fuel would be low. And that rapid start-up probably ate into her energy reserve. He frowned thoughtfully.
His ships could also hit the mid octaves of gamma. If he timed it right, they'd get there less than a few hours behind the frigate. Its warning wouldn't matter. “You just delayed the inevitable,” he murmured.
ACT 3
Chapter 23
Once things were under control with Protodon and the other fronts, Admiral Irons sent a small picket and supply convoy to Senka. The mining communities there were organized loosely in small mining outposts in rocks and on a moon orbiting the gas giant. The moon base serviced the one small gas refinery in orbit of the gas giant; the idea had been picked up from stories about the admiral.
The communities were lively with very contentious politics. They were semi-hostile to outsiders, some subscribed that to the Irish and Scottish blood in the community. They were much like the American west with a small time mayor who usually ran the general store and bar as well as most of the other businesses in the community. Frequently there was no sheriff; justice was rough and spotty with the community acting as a lynch mob sometimes. They were disorganized, almost anarchistic, no central administration.
Commander Sprite put in a few pithy remarks when she jotted out the brief for the senior officers. “For them it works, or so they say.”
They were thick headed, stubborn, and many refused to leave the only life they have known. Many complained about it, but if an outsider agreed with them, they would get pummeled for their trouble or worse.
After getting hit so often in pirate raids, there was something the stubborn Senka miners could agree on. They put the battered ships Io 11 had wrecked to use. Work crews cannibalized them and the other two Apollo class corvettes to get one corvette up and running once more. It was a patched together job, but they were justifiably pleased with themselves over it. The ship lacked a hyperdrive, but they didn't intend for her to leave their star system anyway.
According to their intelligence, militia volunteers ran the ship. They also had a second corvette as a habitat and training facility—at least until a sublight drive could be built for her to use.
During the initial discussions, their representative to Io 11 and to the Federation had tried to discuss towing the ships back to Antigua to rebuild them. But the risky endeavor would cost as much as a new corvette to do so. Shipping parts in to them was possible over time, but Admiral Irons refused to bend. He would not turn over military parts to civilians.
When the convoy settled into the star system, it set up a small ansible station with a small fusion reactor and an ansible. Io 11 had remained in the system to rebuild the freighter since the captain had insisted on keeping her as a prize. Some of her crew had agreed; others had objected. Those who had objected had left the ship “one way or another.”
The Clydesdale Molly helped run goods and personnel into the star system from Triang. When Lieutenant Commander V'rn'th, the Veraxin Spacebee charged with the ansible station construction, finished with her ansible project she was allowed access to the freighter and corvettes. Suspicious crewmen watched as she did her initial survey, passed on her recommendations, and downloaded each ship's database into a spare computer core for fleet intelligence to use.
She led the install of the hyperdrive and reactor into the freighter, the last two pieces of the puzzle of putting the ship back together. The Io 11 captain was so pleased with her services that she worked with the bug to build a better gas refinery, two automated tugs to keep it serviced, and equipment before her ship departed the star system with her new consort.
“Nice doing business with you, Admiral, and thanks for the credit,” the captain cackled in a message to him through the ansible before she left. “We've got places to go, people to see, credits to make,” the captain said. “More credit.”
“We can't stay here forever,” Vanessa the purser added with a nod. “If Commander V'rn'th ever wants a job, let me know. We could use a bug like her,” she stated. The captain grunted in agreement.
Molly would continue to run supplies between Senka and Triang until there weren't enough loads or people to justify the run anymore. Then they would follow behind Io 11.
There was one spot of mixed news on that front; the picket force fingerprinted an intruder in the star system. Unfortunately, the militia ship was given word of it, and instead of allowing the Mirilax class freighter Prinz Zir to get in close for boarding and inspection, they challenged the ship right off. The small freighter managed to escape back the way she had come to B-455.
---<>---<>---
“Well! That was fun. Now what?” Alice demanded, shaking her head. She was sweaty and pissed. The entire crew knew they were fracked. They hadn't expected to be caught out like that right after jumping into the star system and flashing their beacon. “I'm starting to regret not taking that transfer to the Ravens,” she said.
“Huggin and Muninn?” Serius asked, clearly interested. “Which one?”
“Not the spy ships, the Raven class frigates that the yard was working on. They were delayed again, however. One thing after another with the design,” she grimaced. The Raven class was the first from the keel up designed and built empire warship—or would be when it ever got off the drawing board. According to the scuttlebutt, she'd heard about the Leonardo incident and the El Dorado find had frozen the time table on construction. The brass might have even scrapped the project.
She didn't understand why they called it the Raven class since the ships were to be named after weapons and animals in mythology. Sure they started with Norse mythology but … Gungnir named after Odin's spear, Raven, and then there was Geri and Freki named after Odin's wolves. She had been initially assigned to Gungnir as chief engineer before the last freeze and her reassignment to Prinz Zir.
“Yeah, I can bet you'd want to be anywhere but here right now. I can't blame you,” Serius said, shaking his head. “Me too.” He exhaled. “I think the bosun should break the still out, everyone get drunk then blow the ship.”
“We're on fumes. We barely made that jump back here. So our only hope is for what, the enemy to come and pick us up?” Raff asked, coming in to engineering country.
“Pretty much. The XO has everyone doing inventory, but we all know it's make work. He's going to want to kick some stuff loose to save mass. But everything we shed means we've got less to use to survive later.”
“True.”
“If we do a burp, I mean a soft one we could get across this star system in about six months. I don't know if we'd have enough fuel to jump on the other end,” Alice mused. “I'm an engineer not a damn navigator. I don't know how much fuel we'd need.”
“And it wouldn't do any good. We'd be in another useless dead star system.”
“So …”
“So let's get drunk. Fuck ourselves silly then ….”
“Ah, shut up,” Alice sighed, shaking her head as th
e men eyed her. “The first guy who tries anything with me gets castrated—the hard way,” she growled, eying them. The normally pale Serius gulped. Raff just grinned at her.
“Can we scavenge?” Serius asked.
Alice slowly took her eyes off Raff to the other man. She frowned thoughtfully and then shrugged. “It's possible. We've rationed to get this far; we can't squeeze anymore out. Not unless we start shedding people.”
“That would ease up on life support.”
“You're not serious,” Serius said, startled. He stared at Raff. Raff shrugged, but his eyes were still on Alice. She forced herself not to hunch her shoulders. Instead she allowed her long fingers to find the wrench on the counter beside her. Her fingers curled around it.
---<>---<>---
When Admiral White read the latest ansible news report, he was not amused by the division of resources but hardly surprised. “He's right. We need to secure Senka to nail that side of the sector shut,” he said in a conversation to Jojo. She nodded in reply.
That didn't stop Amadeus from asking for more mines, platforms, and other supporting infrastructure as well as additional ships and personnel to secure the system during his next scheduled online conference with Admiral Irons. He had received two additional supply convoys other than the Damocles one, but they had only added to the station and picket forces while cycling some of his personnel. Sure they'd had essential parts that had kept his ships on station, he wasn't knocking that, but it bothered him that his support had tapered off recently. He hadn't gotten a new destroyer from either convoy. Getting the new people broken in and up to speed on all his various plans and procedures had been annoying but a necessary chore.
