by D. M. Pruden
“What on earth possessed you to do that?” asked a livid Stella.
“Honestly, the information I got was inconclusive as to which side holds the upper hand in this conflict. I want to make sure we choose the right allies.”
“So you’re letting them sort out who the stronger force is,” said Hayden. “That makes tactical sense.”
“Thank you, XO. I do know a thing or two about tactics.”
Hayden frowned at Pavlovich. “Why is either side is so interested in us? Did you tell them about the FTL drive?”
“Hell, no, I don’t trust any of them. I intimated we just made the sublight journey from Arcad V.”
“But that is nowhere near Mu Arae. Surely they’ll be aware of the fleet distribution at the time of the disaster?”
“Yeah, I had to talk like a Dutch uncle, but I convinced each party that we were on return jump sequence to Earth when the net went down and trapped us. Which reminds me, Cora, adjust our logs to make it look like that’s what happened, as well as modify the crew manifest.”
“I’m already on it, Cap’n.”
“You didn’t answer Hayden’s question,” said Stella. “Why are they so interested in us?”
“The war in this system has been long and costly. Both sides incurred heavy losses of personnel and ships. With no way to rebuild or secure more, any space-worthy vessel is valuable. Much more so in our case, because we are an operational warship.”
“So what is the plan, Captain?” asked Hayden.
“We sit back and watch the fireworks. When it becomes clear which side holds the upper hand, we join in and help finish the fight.”
“And how will we explain our reluctance to engage in the beginning?”
“Gunney told you that earlier. We are out of ordnance for the rail gun. As far as the lasers go, we can fake some kind of technical glitch responsible for the delay. Needless to say, we should obscure the Glenatat weapon emitters.”
“How do we hide out adaptive hull modifications? Or Cora?”
“I don’t know all the answers, Kaine. That’s why you are here. You are staying, yes?”
Several sets of eyes focused on him. He glanced at Stella, who seemed frightened. He reflected on his almost automatic response to the emergency and how he had so easily assumed command until Pavlovich’s arrival. Had the old man planned that as a test for him?
“My place is here, Captain.”
“Excellent! When this situation is sorted out, we’ll decide what to do with that ship of yours.”
Cornered, all Hayden could do was bite back his comment and nod. He’d been played masterfully. Stella’s warning had proven true. Pavlovich was not to be trusted. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
What Game Are You Playing?
THE CREW OF Scimitar worked for the next hour to prepare and make it appear they were a UEF ship that had been in transit for almost a decade.
“Visitors need to be confined to the unmodified sections,” said Hayden. “It will be difficult explaining the modifications in engineering.”
“We won’t be able to prevent access indefinitely,” said Pavlovich. “Whomever wins the fight for our hand will want to inspect their prize at some point. Any ideas?”
Hayden regarded the sphere in the middle of the briefing room that housed Cora’s essence. “This entire section is modified. We can’t allow them to see any of it.” He rubbed his chin as he pondered the impossible trick of concealing such a significant portion of Scimitar from curious eyes.
“Cora,” he asked, “can the nanotech material that covers our hull be adapted to look like something else? A bulkhead, for instance?”
“Yes, what are you thinking?”
“This area is next to fusion reactor one. If we explained the wall as shielding against a radiation leak...”
“Ah-ha, it would discourage anyone from looking too closely near where the FTL drive is located. Brilliant idea, Kaine.”
“Well, it would be temporary at best. I can’t imagine whomever claims us not wanting to take us back to their base for a refit.”
“What do you think, Cora? Can it be done?” said Pavlovich.
“Yes, but we will have to remove the material from the hull. There is no time for that before they arrive.”
“Then we’ll do what we can for now and work to that solution after things get sorted,” said Pavlovich.
“Captain,” said Hayden, “I understand that all of this is necessary for our immediate survival, but what is the long-term plan? Surely we can’t reveal the existence of our advanced tech to anyone in this sector?”
“No, we won’t be doing that. The goal is to secure the erganium from Elgar’s moon. We’ll need to find a way to send somebody there at the earliest opportunity.”
“If we’re even given such a chance.”
Pavlovich smiled. “You worry too much. The right circumstances will present themselves. Let’s just make sure we’re ready to take advantage of them when they do.”
Hayden shook his head. “I wish I shared your confidence.”
“You don’t know the two principal actors in this conflict like I do, Kaine.”
“You know them both?”
“One of them far better than the other, but yes. On the one side is Ulysses Stromm. We went to the academy together.”
“Were you on good terms?”
“Eh, that depends on your frame of reference. We were drinking buddies for a time.”
“A time?”
“There was a girl.”
“I see,” said Hayden with a nod. “Which of you was the winner?”
“You sound like a misogynist, Kaine. We competed for her affections, but she chose somebody else. Still, my relationship with Stromm was never the same after that. We’ve not spoken since graduation.”
“What about the other player?”
“Cesar Malkovich.”
“And what do you know about him?”
“Quite a bit. He’s my cousin.”
Hayden stared at the captain for several seconds. “You don’t seem to be too bothered that we might be going to battle against a member of your family.”
“Actually, I’m worried we’ll be forced to fight on his side. Cesar is an asshole; always was, even when we were kids. In a lot of ways, I prefer the idea of dealing with Stromm.”
“It sounds like it may be a shit show no matter which way things go.”
The captain shrugged. “Sorry about that. This situation is the best I could do.”
Hayden suspected there was much that Pavlovich chose not to reveal. Had he the time, he would be inclined to push for more, but the announcement from Cora shut off all discussion.
The fleets were about to arrive.
Kaine and Pavlovich returned to the bridge, much to the visible relief of Gunney, the acting duty officer.
“Report,” said the captain as he assumed his chair. Hayden proceeded to his station. Stella was nowhere to be seen, and he briefly wondered where she could have gone.
“The two fleets are within weapons range, sir. The grouping in front of us will arrive first.”
“How far behind is the pursuing group?” asked Hayden.
“They began their deceleration and will be here five minutes later,” said Cora over the speakers.
“Gunney, keep the lasers hot. Find some targets on both sides but don’t lock on just yet,” ordered Pavlovich.
“Aye, Cap’n, but I sure wish I had projectiles.”
Hayden was inclined to agree with the gunnery officer. At close range, their available conventional energy weapon might do significant damage to the other ships, but a rail gun would be devastating. He was confident neither of the approaching fleets shared Scimitar’s current disadvantage. If either side chose to unleash fire on them, the adaptive hull might protect them but also give away their secret. He couldn’t imagine the fallout of that situation, but it wouldn’t be good.
“Incoming com
munication, sir,” said the communications officer.
The captain glanced at Hayden and raised crossed fingers. “Let’s hear ’em.”
“Scimitar, you are ordered to stand down. Power down your weapons and prepare for boarding.”
“Kovacs, is that you?” The hint of a smile peeked out from under Pavlovich’s beard.
“Pavlovich, you old bastard, is that really you? Torrence told me it was your ship, but I didn’t believe him.”
“In the flesh, you old pirate. Why so aggressive? I informed him whose side we are on.”
“Sorry about this, but I have my orders. I need to secure your vessel before the rebels arrive. What is your defensive status?”
“We’ve got lasers, but the power buffers are glitchy. I’m glad you’re here to save our ass.”
“Hold your position. We are forming a perimeter around you.”
“Sir! We are receiving another priority message on a different channel,” announced the communications officer.
The captain shot the man a dirty look.
“What’s going on over there, Yegor?”
“The ships pursuing us are trying to interfere with our comms.” He waved to Kaine and indicated the communications station. “I think they want to jam our signal.”
Suddenly realizing what Pavlovich wanted, Hayden dashed across the bridge and pushed the operator out of the way. His fingers flew over the interface, and a moment later, loud static filled the speakers.
The remainder of the message was lost in a hiss of noise.
“Thanks, Kaine. Now, put me through to the other fleet.”
“...I repeat, this is the UEF Callisto. Identify yourself.”
“We are the UEF Scimitar,” said Pavlovich. “Hostile, unidentified vessels surround us and are threatening to board. We request assistance.”
“Acknowledged, Scimitar. Can you defend yourself?”
“Negative. Our emitter coupling is damaged, and our rail gun ordnance is exhausted.”
“Understood. Be prepared to take evasive action. We’ll be there soon.”
“Message received. Thank you, Callisto.” Pavlovich made a slashing motion at his throat, and the connection was terminated.
“Cora, we’re going to need full power to the weapons and maximum manoeuvring thrust in a few seconds.”
“Everything is at your disposal, Cap’n. I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”
“You and me both, sweetie,” said Pavlovich. He sat forward suddenly and searched the bridge. “Kaine, where’s your girlfriend? I could really use her.”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Damn it. Cora, find her and persuade her to join us, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“Rail gun fire!” shouted the tactical officer.
Hayden returned to his monitoring station. He watched in morbid fascination as high-energy projectiles from both fleets impacted their targets. The vessel closest to Scimitar split in half when it was struck midship by an incoming projectile.
Farther in back of them, two of the closing ships bloomed into brilliant fireballs.
“Well, that’s interesting,” said Pavlovich, eyes riveted on the image.
Kaine hovered over the sensor station console. “It appears they are firing low-yield nuclear warheads.”
“No shit. What about the rebels? That was no nuke that split that ship in two.”
“No, sir, they used a kinetic mass projectile for maximum damage.”
“Well, that’s an interesting disparity in ordnance, isn’t it?”
“Something else is going on as well. Only one of the ships surrounding us has been struck. I’m having difficulty pinning down coordinates for the remaining vessels.”
“You think they are using some sort of stealth field?”
“That is the only thing I can think of, Captain. If they are emitting bogus signals, we may not be able to reliably target them.”
“I want to see this for myself, Kaine.”
A moment later, a Hawking class destroyer appeared on the holographic imager. At twice the mass of Scimitar, she was formidable. Yet the image was unstable. It flickered and popped in and out of focus.
“What the hell is the matter with the projector?”
“Our equipment is functioning perfectly,” said Hayden. “Look at the background star field. It isn’t affected, only the ship.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before, have you?”
“During my last year at the academy, we took a tour of the orbital assembly structure. At the time, the commanding officer of the facility made a sidebar comment about them incorporating a new classified defensive technology on some of the newest ships. Maybe this is it?”
“If it is...” Pavlovich studied the shifting image. “I’m becoming nauseous watching it. Gunney, can you get a lock on that ship?”
“The targeting computer says nothing is there. If you want me to hit it, I’ll make a guess.”
“No, don’t.”
The captain turned to Hayden. “I think I know what we need to do. Kaine?”
“I agree, sir. The incoming ships have the inferior technology.”
“Mm-hmm. Gunney, pick out one and let ’em have it. It’s time for us to declare ourselves.”
“Aye, Cap’n.”
A moment later, the gunnery officer shouted, “Sir, I’ve tracked the exchange of fire. There is more ordnance coming from the arriving rebel fleet than can be accounted for by the ships I am tracking.”
“Kaine, confirm those readings.”
Hayden studied the readout on his console then went to check another station.
“Well, XO?”
“There is definitely an anomaly. There are least four additional weapon sources that can’t be accounted for.”
“More stealth tech?”
“It think it is a form of refractive cloaking. When I increase the sensitivity of our enhanced graviton detectors, I see indications of mass at those locations.”
Suddenly, a brilliant flare erupted on the screen as the Hawking class destroyer vaporized.
“And now it would seem that both sides possess nukes,” said Pavlovich.
“Sir,” said Hayden, “refractive cloaks will render our lasers useless.”
“What will our Glenatat weapon do against either side?”
“Hypothetically, the dark energy cannon should not be affected by any of this technology, but are you sure you want to tip our hand?”
“No, I’m just weighing all the options. Have any more of the approaching ships been hit?”
“One visible ship remains on course, sir. All others are destroyed.”
“And the cloaked ones? Have any of them been targeted?”
“No, sir,” said Gunney, “not as far as I can tell.”
Pavlovich’s eyes remained glued to the tactical display. To Hayden, he seemed unsure for the first time since he’d known him.
Scimitar had not yet been fired on. It was conceivable that they could remain neutral for a while longer under the pretence of faulty equipment, but he feared they might soon be forced to pick a side. In his opinion, the appearance of the invisible vessels armed with nuclear projectiles had sealed the deal in favour of siding with them. Pavlovich’s uncertainty, however, gave him pause. What did the captain see that he didn’t?
“Kaine, can our Glenatat sensors give us better info about those cloaked ships?”
“I’m not sure.” Hayden activated them and examined the output. “Better indications of size: each ship is 380 cubic metres.”
“Only 380? That’s awfully small.”
“It’s large enough for a single power plant and a small rail gun, not much else. No room for a crew.”
“A drone?”
“Yeah, that sounds about right. It would have to be locally controlled from that remaining ship.”
“That’s your target, Gunney.”
“Aye, Cap’n.”
The ship’s lights dimmed as the powerf
ul X-ray laser fired. Hayden watched on his instruments as the bow of the targeted vessel glowed a brilliant crimson as repeated pulses of their weapon struck it.
Suddenly, it blew apart as a high-velocity projectile tore through its weakened superstructure.
“It has been destroyed by a rail gun volley,” said Hayden.
“And the drones?”
“Maintaining their course but no longer firing. They are drifting under inertia and will pass our position in forty-two seconds.”
“Any risk of collision?”
“You mean as in a last-ditch suicide type attack? No.”
Pavlovich considered the empty star field on the monitor. “Is there any chance we can nab one of those? Having the details of that tech could come in handy.”
Hayden shook his head. “Not without revealing that we can see them. If we didn’t have an audience...” He shrugged.
“Sir,” announced the communications officer, “there is an incoming transmission.”
The captain nodded and sat back in his chair.
“I see you found your trigger finger, Pavlovich. Thanks for the help.”
“Our pleasure, Kovacs. My engineer fixed our problem in time to lend a hand. What the hell was that all about? Cloaked ships? I’ve never seen tech like that before.”
“A lot has happened here. I’ll let Stromm explain the situation to you.”
“You’re not sure how much you can tell me, eh? I understand.”
“How are your engines running? Can you follow us back to base, or do you need a tow?”
Pavlovich chuckled. “You’re never going to let me forget that incident, are you? No, we’ve got plenty of power. Just tell us the coordinates.”
“They’re being transmitted now. Normally, I would send an officer over to assume control of your ship, but I think you’ve shown us whose side you’re on. You can retain command of your vessel until Stromm decides what to do with you and your crew.”
“Understood. Lead on, and I’ll buy you a drink when I see you.”
“You owe me several drinks. Kovacs out.”
Pavlovich exhaled and stood. He approached Hayden and lowered his voice. “Out of the frying pan...”
