Sonya commented, “Dimitri’s been working his new ship I see, or rather, smell.”
Colin chuckled as he replied, “He’s already blooded her Sonya. He used this ship to remove the last of the Pirate vessels skulking around Cambridge. Dimitri is deadly to our enemies with FNS Harmon.”
The Commodores exited the Shuttle and received full honors, piped on board and greeted by the Captain. Captain Dimitri Molchaoff was proud of his ship and keen to show her to the best advantage. He escorted Sonya and Colin from one end of the vessel to the other. Everywhere they passed, members of his crew worked hard at their jobs. Two hours later, the group broke for refreshment, then continued the tour for another four hours. When Sonya had seen the entire ship, Dimitri escorted her and Colin to the CCC and left them.
While the tour was underway, Colin’s team arrived and brought the Sensor displays online in the CCC. Lieutenant Brown sat in front of the primary Sensor station fiddling with controls. Colin explained the Sensors to Sonya, excited to show her the quantum leap in capability they presented. Sonya made the right sounds of appreciation, but her attention focused on Colin. He appeared happy enough now, but his mood swings disturbed her. Sometimes, Colin was his usual self, on other occasions, he conveyed more contentment than warranted or appeared depressed.
Colin said to Brown, “Max, show the Sensors to Commodore Nicholson if you please.”
Brown moved to comply. At first, he managed a coherent and impressive display, but as he tried to change the filter settings and remove the clutter, Max ran into trouble. Sensor screens went dark, showing nothing, then relit, showing every rock in the System. These problems persisted for several minutes until Colin exploded with impatience.
“For God’s sake Mr. Brown, what are you doing? You…”
Sonya grabbed Colin by the arm and hauled him from the compartment into an adjoining office where she closed the door. They left a shocked group of Officers behind in the CCC. Kelly Downer buried her shock first and took charge, bringing the others back on task. In the past, none had seen Commodore Gordon act this way. His usual calm and competent demeanor had cracked. Colin’s typical approach, was to work to help his troops as they progressed with their careers. This latest development was unsettling. Anne watched Kelly take charge, not letting the shock stop her. Anne planned to make sure Colin rewarded Lieutenant Downer.
In the office, Sonya said, “Colin, what are you thinking? These Officers look up to you, they worship you. You cannot treat them this way.”
Colin stared at her, his face blank, as he tried to process what just happened. Even he didn’t understand the source of his anger. Colin ran through the breathing exercises his doctors taught him as he fought to bring rampant emotions under control. Sonya watched this, concern written across her face. With a sigh and a soft groan, Colin flopped into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
Sonya asked, “What’s wrong Colin? Please, talk, explain how I can help.”
A minute later, Colin recovered enough to look at his friend and colleague. He said, “I apologize, Sonya, my behavior is unacceptable. What do I do now, I’m unfit for a command until my head clears? The doctors said I’d have a hard day sometimes. I have less difficult days, but up till now, I’ve kept my loss of control behind closed doors.”
“So, you’re having problems? I didn’t know Colin. Who does?”
“Henry, Anne, Julia, Carl, and Siobhan, and the doctors. I lost focus two months ago and couldn’t continue. The doctors are working with me, and it helps, but I haven’t made a full recovery yet. The problem is worse when my workload is low. I have too much thinking time.”
“You can’t leave this to fester Colin, you understand that.”
With a deep, soulful sigh, Colin stood and said, “I know, Sonya. I must apologize for my behavior in front of everyone who saw it. Let’s do this.”
Sonya followed Colin back to the CCC where he asked if everyone was present. This disturbed her, the Colin Gordon she knew noticed when somebody was missing.
With the entire team gathered, Colin said, “I am here to apologize to you, all of you. Most of all, I must apologize to Lieutenant Brown. Max, I’m sorry for losing my temper, it was unwarranted and unacceptable. Please accept my apology in the spirit I’ve offered it.”
Colin wound down, unsure. What else could he say? Max Brown nodded, acknowledging and accepting the apology. He owed everything to Commodore Gordon. The man gave everything and never lost his temper.
Hangelore System
Suhmarlin Hazilsor raged around his Headquarters. The slaves cowered before him in terror when they couldn’t avoid him. Two had died when he shot them in his rage. They did nothing wrong. Everything went so well after he captured Hangelore. At least, it did until he invaded Cambridge. Hazilsor cursed the humans, their stubborn resistance cost him. He lost two-thirds of his ships during the invasion, and this weakened his forces. The Pirate needed time to rebuild his strength before retaking the offensive.
Hazilsor asked his second, “Do you have good news?”
“Yes Suhmarlin, we sent a group to the Federation. They raided a delanot colony called Brondar. They came back bulging with masses of material, including two thousand slaves. Many of these slaves have skills we need to rebuild.”
“Good, something is going well for us. Will the delanot retaliate?”
“Where would they retaliate? They don’t know where we are, their only choice is to hunt our ships in the Federation.”
“Maybe, but if they find us, we’re weak right now. It’ll take years to rebuild our strength. We need strong defenses here. If the Federation finds us, we can handle anything they send. We’ll upgrade the Battle-Stations at the Jump-Point into Federation space. Mine the exit lanes. Cambridge surprised us when they fired Missiles from unmanned Platforms. Have we manufactured those yet?”
“They’re easy to copy. We can control the Missiles from the Battle-Stations. Be aware, Missile Platforms are one-shot weapons, no different to the Mines. We can reload them, but not during a battle.”
“They’ll add plenty of throw weight to the Battle-Stations. We can overwhelm the Point-Defense and Shields on anything an invader sends through the Jump-Point. The ones Cambridge deployed might have ended us if they had Battle-Stations too. The Federation doesn’t have a spare Fleet strong enough to penetrate the defenses I have in mind. We’ll build a layered defense with plenty more behind the first few layers.”
“As you wish Suhmarlin, I’ll give the orders at once.”
Within hours, ships headed toward the Jump-Point. When they arrived, the ships unloaded their cargoes of Mines, Missiles and Missile Platforms near the Battle-Stations. Tugs latched onto the ordnance and towed it into position, creating layers of defensive measures hundreds of thousands of kilometres deep. Other ships transported supplies and workers to the Stations. Both Stations sprouted more Missile racks and Point-Defense Turrets over the next few weeks. The Pirates increased the Shield strength and installed more reactors to power the extra equipment.
With his defenses improving by the day, Hazilsor calmed enough that his slaves could do their jobs without the imminent risk of death. Over time, Hangelore’s security improved. One project that Suhmarlin started before he tried to invade Cambridge was to build an orbital shipyard. When he began, he wanted somewhere to repair his ships. That purpose had morphed into making new ships and upgrading the existing ones. Although the day was closer, Hangelore hadn’t produced a new ship.
Cambridge Naval Headquarters
The Shuttle landed at Harmon’s Shuttle Station with Sonya on board. Colin stayed behind on FNS Harmon leaving Sonya concerned for his health. After disembarking from the Shuttle, Sonya traveled straight to Navy Headquarters. She needed to discuss Colin with Henry and help her friend.
When Sonya reached Headquarters, Sarah took her in to Henry without delay. He waved her to a comfortable chair and asked, “What’s stirred you up Sonya? You look rattled.”
�
��Colin, is what stirred me up, Henry. He’s a different man to the one I know. What’s happened to him, and what can we do about it?”
“Hmmm, would you care to tell me what he’s done?”
Sonya sighed. She accepted Henry’s question as coming from a man who needed facts before acting. Sonya related his odd behavior, including the mood swings and the way he chewed out a Junior Officer who fumbled an adjustment. Henry listened to her story with interest. Receiving information like this from Sonya was important. Out of circulation for months she’d seen little of Colin. The differences in his behavior were clearer to her than to Henry because he saw Commodore Gordon almost every day.
The Shuttle landed at Harmon’s Shuttle Station with Sonya on board. Colin stayed on FNS Harmon leaving Sonya concerned for his health. After disembarking from the Shuttle, Sonya traveled straight to Navy Headquarters to discuss Colin with Henry and help her friend.
When Sonya reached Headquarters, Sarah took her in to Henry without delay.
He waved her to a comfortable chair and asked, “What’s stirred you up Sonya? You look rattled.”
“Colin, is what stirred me up, Henry. He’s a different man to my friend. What’s happened to him, and what can we do about it?”
“Hmmm, please, tell me what he’s done?”
Sonya sighed. She accepted Henry’s question as coming from a man who needed facts before acting. Sonya related his odd behavior, including the mood swings and the way he chewed out a junior Officer who fumbled a change in Sensor settings. Henry listened to her story with interest. Receiving information like this from Sonya was important. Sonya had seen little of Colin when she was out of circulation for months. The differences in his behavior were more apparent to her than to Henry because he saw Commodore Gordon almost every day.
After Sonya finished relating her story, Henry considered options for several minutes. He agreed with Sonya, they had to do something for their friend. Colin was too valuable to the Federation. He appeared to struggle with inactivity, but was this because he had so many demons plaguing his mind? The doctors wouldn’t help them with a decision. Provided his problems didn’t jeopardize his ability to work, Henry intended to respect Colin’s privacy.
Henry asked, “Do you think we should relieve him from duty?”
“I don’t know, Admiral. Remember, I have seen little of him for months. He visited me in hospital, and since the doctors discharged me, but the stresses weren’t there. I haven’t seen this behavior. He is struggling with these demons when did this begin?”
“Five or six weeks ago. Colin is under the doctor’s care. He’s improving, but when he’s back, I’ll ask if he’ll allow the doctors to brief me. Provided they agree it’ll help, I’ll send him on patrol with a small flotilla. They can call by Cotoni and Sankarah. Admiral Dalkasan and Hanadon will appreciate FNS Harmon’s visit. Dalkasan told us to send the first one to Sankarah when she was ready.”
“This may work, Henry. It’ll give Colin something to focus on other than himself. We should brief FNS Harmon’s doctors, they can keep an eye out.”
“Agreed. Let’s see what Colin says when he arrives tomorrow. I can’t… I won’t order this without medical approval.”
Sonya considered Henry’s declaration then said, “I agree with your assessment, Henry. You must use the right information to decide. I’m sorry I dumped this problem on you. You’re our Commanding Officer, these problems go with the stars.”
“Hrmph… Sonya, I doubt you’re sorry for dropping this problem in my lap. I remember your complaints about these issues when you commanded Cambridge’s defense. Now, don’t you have something more important to do than dumping problems on my shoulders?”
Sonya laughed as she replied, “Yes Henry, I have several things requiring my attention.”
Brondar
The wanton death and destruction stoked the fires of fury deep within Zhavan’s belly. Admiral Kashir Zhavan’s rage was so intense, she forgot Queen Taveli’s orders. No other Officer in the Brondar Task-Force knew their Queen had ordered Zhavan to go no further than Brondar. Perhaps ignoring the Queen’s orders was deliberate, but the images of Brondar were burned into her mind forever. Kashir planned revenge against the Pirates, a crusade to rid the Federation of the Pirate menace forever. Her ship crews worked hard improving Task-Force readiness. This was the most capable group of ships Kislara possessed. They needed a shipyard to repair everything though, and Brondar had none. By now, accountants in Kislara should’ve discovered the empty parts stores. They’d scream and complain, but must shoulder the blame for the Kislaran Fleet’s low state of readiness. If Kashir had her way, she’d line the accountants up against a wall and shoot them, along with the other traitors. By then, Admiral Zhavan was far past reason.
Kashir met her Captains to plan the mission. Zhavan intended to find a Pirate base and burn it to ashes. For that, they needed intelligence. This meant their highest priority was to capture a Pirate intact. After they’d interrogated the captured Pirates and extracted the information, she intended to space them and raid whatever targets they identified. This meeting was a virtual one. If an enemy entered Brondar System, the Captains remained on their ships, ready to fight.
When the Comms Officers made the connections, Zhavan said, “We’ll offload the relief supplies and help the remaining colonists set up a more secure place to live. They need somewhere to hide and an early warning system so they can run there before another attack comes. They might have to withstand orbital bombardment so need a place where they’re invisible from orbit. A few of the survivors found a system of deep caves during the last attack. We’ll arrange for them to go there if hostile forces return. Once we complete that, well leave a company of Troopers to help with security, but we can’t do much more. I propose that we send the empty Freighters back to Kislara with an escort comprising two Patrol-Boats. The rest of us will search for Pirates. Do you have questions?”
The group discussed how best to land the supplies on Brondar and secure the colony against future attack. Regular visits from the Navy were the obvious choice for a colony at this stage of development. Colonists are a hardy bunch, they have to be to leave their homes and embark on an adventure to settle a new world.
Kashir Zhavan chaffed at the delays while supplies were unloaded, and an early warning system installed. Three weeks later, they finished. Admiral Zhavan sent FNS Katini and FNS Tamaril to escort the empty Freighters home to Kislara. Soon after they Jumped out, the balance of the Task-Force departed orbit, bound for a different Jump-Point to pursue Pirates.
FR-206A
After leaving Brondar, the Kislaran Task-Force followed a random course searching for Pirates. They found nothing for weeks. Then they entered an uninhabited System designated FR-206A. This System has a Red Dwarf Star surrounded by thousands of small planetoids and other debris. FR-206A boasts four Jump-Points, one exiting too close to a Star to allow safe transit. Another headed into space the Federation hadn’t surveyed yet, but for those familiar with the region, led toward Hangelore. The other two Jump-Points led into Federation space.
Zhavan’s group coasted along with everything on minimum power when a small, unidentified ship entered the System. After exiting Jump, the newcomer sped up as it transited to another Jump-Point. The Kislarans observed the ship’s suspicious behavior. They allowed the newcomer to reach a point where it couldn’t escape then accelerated on an intercept course. When close enough, the Kislarans hailed the fleeing ship and identified themselves as Federation Navy. Their quarry didn’t respond to the hails, so when they reached a suitable range, the Kislarans tried shooting close enough to singe the other ships skin without destroying her.
By then, the Kislarans had designated the ship as a Pirate and worthy of capture. When she fired at the pursuing Navy vessels, it confirmed their suspicions. This was a Pirate. The Kislarans continued to close the range and snipe at the enemy’s engines. They didn’t want to destroy her, they needed prisoners and access to an e
ntire navigational database. They took two days to corral the enemy vessel and induce her crew to surrender. Troopers from two of the Destroyers boarded the prize and secured her for forensic examination. The boarders found twenty mistreated slaves on board. These slaves were in an Air-Lock, ready for disposal. It was fortunate that the outer hatch malfunctioned and refused to open.
The Troopers secured the Pirates and returned them to the Destroyers. The slaves stayed on the captured ship until Admiral Zhavan decided where to take them. None were delanot, but that didn’t call for mistreatment. Meanwhile, security specialists embarked on a forensic examination of the ship. During interrogations, the prisoners mentioned one name many times, Suhmarlin Hazilsor. It was obvious; this one Pirate was a significant mover and shaker in the Pirate community. He’d even captured an entire planet and made it his personal fiefdom.
When he concluded, the Federation would capture his ship, the Pirate Captain had attempted to purge his ship’s computer to remove incriminating evidence. As with so many Pirate ships, the owners didn’t maintain this one, so the data purge was incomplete. During the following days, the security specialists recovered the crucial data. After their early investigation, they knew about the ships recent activities. The most important discovery was the existence of Suhmarlin Hazilsor’s base, Hangelore. Now they had a target though not its coordinates. Admiral Zhavan needed this to exact revenge on the Pirates who attacked Brondar. Now she had to decide the fate of the captured ship and Pirates. Kashir gave herself another day to consider the options.
Star Strike: Book 3 of the Star Man Series Page 26
