Hunted (Space Rogue Book 2)

by Jay Toney

  "I guess the contest continues until one of you mans up and changes your vote to me," Doc said, staring me in the eyes. I knew that he meant me.

  I filled my mug with cold beer and slowly walked back to my cabin with Jewel and Amber at my sides. I plopped myself down on the couch too full for much more than finishing my cold drink. Jewel and Amber sat next to me.

  "You know, if you start developing a tummy, Jewel and I will have to take you to the gym simulation with us."

  "I think a little tummy is sexy." Jewel and Amber both laughed.

  Rosie popped in for a minute to say, "It was a great deal of fun cooking with Doc. We both learned new things from each other. He is a very talented cook." Then she left to celebrate with Mike.

  Natasha had a message for all officers: "Tonight's dinner will consist of leftovers. Starting tomorrow, everyone is on their own for breakfast. Rosie and I will be alternating lunch and dinner meals. This schedule will continue until one of us is declared the winner."

  There was no way in hell I was going to change my vote. We were going to enjoy our meals in the galley for a long time. Jewel pulled my shirt off and rubbed my swollen belly.

  "Natasha, I've noticed certain changes in our personalities since we started bonding with each other. Is there anything in the Iniguar database that Shree'tek left with us, that explains this?"

  "It will take me a few minutes to search the data. Standby... I have found the requested data. In some cases, bond mates take on some of the personality traits and skills of each other. Usually, the changes are minor and progress over time. It is nothing to worry about."

  I used the rooms comm to call Doc. "The girls and I are having some..., that is to say, we are experiencing some changes."

  "It took you long enough."

  "I'm not talking about those changes. Since bonding with each other, there have been some changes in our personalities, and our abilities."

  "It is not a good time to be having personality problems. Especially those caused by those damn Iniguar bonding devices. I never had any interest in cooking or medicine until I bonded with Elaunae. We are going to have to run fast and far to get away from the Alliance. I should have made the run years ago, myself."

  "Why didn't you?"

  "Because of your mother. I loved her and would do anything for her. Her one wish was to see that you were raised properly. When Alliance soldiers murdered her in cold blood, I had to make a choice. I could hunt them and try to get revenge or try to put my anger aside and raise you as we wanted."

  "How is it that Amber and I can fly the way we do," Jewel asked. "We never had any interest in flying until recently."

  "Because Nathaniel can. He is a natural pilot. Nathaniel inherited his ability from his mother. He's been flying since he was big enough to see out the windscreen. Nathaniel is a better pilot than any ace pilot I've ever met, and he has never had any formal training. You two got your skills from him."

  Reunion

  "Nathaniel, wake up!"

  All I needed was ten more minutes of sleep. I was in the middle of a pleasant dream and wanted to finish it before waking. I pulled my pillow over my head to muffle Amber's and Jewel's demands. It didn't help. Amber and Jewel each grabbed a leg and pulled. The jolt from my body hitting the floor woke me, spoiling any chance of returning to my dream. Maybe they would have let me sleep a little longer if I told them that I was dreaming about them. I wasn't, and they wouldn't have believed me anyhow.

  I was dreaming of a beautiful lady that I never saw before. She had sandy blond hair and the brightest blue eyes I ever saw. The woman was wearing a bleached white tunic that extended down to her ankles, and a light blue toga was wrapped around her body and held in place over her left shoulder by a gold clasp. She was about to tell me her name when Amber and Jewel woke me.

  Rosie prepared breakfast for us before she left. It was freshly made and still warm. That accounted for the hurry Amber and Jewel were in. They wanted to eat their meals while they were still hot. Amber poured me a cup of coffee and passed it to me.

  "Not coffee, I detest the stuff. Do we have any fresh fruit juice? I need something sweet and sugary to get my day started."

  "Is something wrong?"

  "No. Why?"

  "You always drink at least two cups of coffee in the morning before doing anything else."

  I ignored the coffee and reached for the glass of juice and drank it, instead. "Why are we up so early?"

  "We will be exiting hyperspace shortly, and we need to be at our posts when we do."

  "Okay, but I still don't understand why we need to be there? Don't we have people to handle that?" I couldn't think any thoughts that were passing through my muddled brain came to me at best scrambled and full of holes. The more I concentrated, the cloudier my thoughts were.

  "Nathaniel, is something wrong? Do I need to call Doc?" Amber asked, growing concerned.

  "I don't know. Something isn't right. It is hard to think clearly; I feel confused. I am not sure where I am. I barely recognize you and Jewel. I think we belong together, but I am not sure what our relationship is."

  "We are married."

  "That is exactly how I feel most mornings when I first wake up, but it passes after a few minutes. Lately, I've been waking up clearheaded," Jewel commented.

  "As long as it passes and you can think clearly, we will hold off on visiting Doc. Jewel and I will just have to get you up earlier, so you have time to adjust. If your confusion gets any worse, Jewel and I will have to take you to sickbay."

  I showered and dressed in the clothes that Amber laid out for me. It felt strange going to the bridge of this starship dressed in regular clothes. It felt like I should be wearing a uniform of some sort. I looked in my closet. There was only one uniform, and it carried the junior rank of sub-lieutenant. I changed into it. Hopefully, it would help me in determining my position and duties aboard the starship.

  Amber and Jewel didn't argue with my choice of attire, only because we didn't have enough time and needed to hurry to the bridge. We took the nearest lift up to deck one and headed forward to the bridge. My head finally began to clear and recognition of who I was and who Amber and Jewel were, returned to me. Also, I remembered that the I hated uniforms, especially those belonging to the Alliance military, and this one didn't even have the right rank. I was the ship's captain, not a junior officer.

  I sat in the command chair and glanced at the main viewscreen. The countdown clock showed that we only had a few minutes remaining before it was time to exit hyperspace. The uniform began itching, and somehow it slowed time as the itching increased. This time when I changed out of the clothes, I would make sure they went into the recycling chute myself. I never wanted to see, much less wear the detested thing again.

  Natasha brought the Persephone out of hyperspace. Stars filled the viewscreen, replacing the empty blackness that usually filled the viewscreen while we were in hyperspace. This time, stars or planets were not the only things filling our viewscreen. There was a battle in progress ahead of us.

  "I'm receiving signals from distress beacons belonging to the Valley Forge, the Lucy, and the Hedgehog. Transponder signals match those ships," Tanya reported.

  "Our sensors have detected the presence of a cruiser, two destroyers, and several small ships, gunships or possibly starfighters." Amber activated our tactical screen and transferred the information to it. The cruiser was 40,000 km from the battle, monitoring it from a distance. The destroyers were closer, 10,000 km from the fight. They were within weapons range but not engaged in the action. Only the small ships were attacking.

  "The Valley Forge is disabled. The Hedgehog has heavy damage but is still fighting, and the
Lucy is only lightly damaged. The fighters are concentrating on attacking the Hedgehog. It won't be long before it is disabled."

  "Tanya sound condition red, all hands to battle stations."

  "Natty, raise our shields and secure our bulkhead hatches. Set an intercept course with the Alliance warships, flank speed.

  I opened a comm channel to engineering, "Randolph, prepare five Marauders for combat."

  "I have six Marauders loaded and ready in the starboard shuttle bay."

  "Chief Mike?"

  "Don't call me Chief. I'm not the chief of anything anymore. Just call me Mike."

  "Mike, how good are you at flying Marauders?"

  "I used to fly with Red, on missions. It has been a few years since I last flew in combat, but I've practiced over the years in simulators. I'm good enough."

  "I'm glad to hear it. I need you to fly as Doc's wingman."

  "Natty, keep the destroyers and the cruiser busy until Red gets here."

  I used the comm again, this time to call the ship's infirmary. "Doc, meet us in the starboard shuttle bay. We have some gunships and starfighters to take care of.

  Jewel and Amber, you are flying too."

  "Are you sure you want the girls flying so soon? They haven't had any advanced training, and their last flight didn't end so well."

  "We need their help if we are going to save our friends. Three of us against the Alliance fighters isn't enough. If I had any other pilots that could fly the Marauders with any chance of survival I would be using them too."

  "They say the gods favor the fools. I hope they are watching us today."

  We left the bridge and hurried to the shuttle bay. We all changed into flight suits in the ready room. I made sure the itchy Alliance uniform went into the disposal chute, to be recycled, after changing out of it.

  Six of my Marauders were on the ready line, ready for combat, and six more were hanging from racks above us. Each Marauder had an internal 40 mm cannon, a weapon turret with twin particle beam cannons, and external weapon pylons loaded with scorpion missiles, chaff, and flare dispensers. The assault shuttles were a little bigger than most starfighters but equally as maneuverable. They were slightly smaller than the gunships we would be fighting, not as heavily armored and armed, but faster and maneuverable. The Alliance usually didn't use gunships to attack other spacecraft and hadn't employed them to do so since the last war. Now, they were mainly used to subdue ground targets. Their pilots were using our friends for target practice.

  Each of us boarded a Marauder and began our preflight diagnostic checks. After the diagnostics were complete, I keyed in the startup sequence, bringing my ship to life. Marauders weren't designed just for use in combating starfighters and gunships; they were designed to attack capital ships. The Marauders were capable of getting past the capital ships shields and causing devastating damage. The weapons the assault shuttles carried weren't powerful enough to destroy a capital ship, but they could cripple it by damaging its weapons, shield generators, engines, and other systems, making them vulnerable to attack.

  Mikes voice sounded loud inside of my helmet, "Quit daydreaming and let's go!"

  "Amber and Jewel, form up on my wing tips. You will be flying with me as my wingmen.

  Mike, you will be Doc's wingman. The two of you will launch behind us."

  "Nathaniel, Amber and I have never fired the Marauder's weapons, even in simulation."

  "It's easy, on your weapons select menu you will have three weapon choices with our current weapons load: guns, beams, and missiles. With guns or beams selected, a target reticle will appear on your screen. Just line it up with what you want to shoot and squeeze the trigger. With missiles selected, a target box will appear. Keep it on your target until you get a lock tone in your headset, then squeeze the trigger. Don't wait for the missile to hit. Veer off and line up on your next target. If you get a missile warning, the top two buttons on your control stick dispense chaff and flares. Use them in conjunction with the ships ECM to confuse the missiles. Keep your speed up and keep maneuvering. If you get a missile warning, don't slow down and keep firing your chaff and flares until the warning stops. The most important thing is to stay with your wingman. Your wingman's job is with to defend you while you attack your target."

  "That's a lot to remember."

  "Don't worry, by the time we are through with this fight it will seem natural to the two of you."

  I taxied my ship to the launch tube. Jewel and Amber formed up on my wingtips. Doc and Mike waited at the ready line for our take off. The girls signaled their readiness, and we launched our Marauders. They stayed in formation with my ship as we flew towards the enemy fighters.

  The attacking ships turned out to be gunships, slightly larger than our Marauders, less maneuverable, but more heavily armed and armored. The ship's markings identified them as belonging to the Crimson Tide, not the Alliance. The flaming red skull made their identification easy. They were pirates, not the trained militia that I was expecting to engage in combat. The use of gunships was not part of their usual attack. Like the Alliance, they used their gunships primarily to subdue ground targets during raids. The odds were in our favor. Most likely we would be facing rookie pilots attacking our ships to gain experience, not veterans.

  I lined up on the first gunship and fired a missile, immediately pulling up hard with the girls following. I cut my thrust and flipped my ship like we did in practice and accelerated towards our next target. "Amber take the point; the next one is yours." We switched our positions in the formation, and she moved in close to the gunship. The pilot of the gunship tried evading, but Amber stayed with him. The gunship's pilot fired off a series of chaff and flare, but they were useless. Amber fired her Marauders 40 mm guns. A mix of high explosive and armor-piercing projectiles penetrated the gunship's armor, destroying it. She rolled off her target, and we followed behind her.

  Jewel took the point position next. We headed in closer to the Lucy, where more gunships were trying to disable the freighter, by attacking its weapons and engines. The Valley Forge was already helpless. Its engines were damaged and not operating. It drifted using its thrusters for control. The Hedgehog was barely in the fight. It still had some maneuverability, but half of its engines were destroyed, glowing, and throwing off waves of thermal radiation. Some of its weapons turrets were still functional; its gunners used them to defend the mercenary ship against the attacking gunships. Jewel picked a target and lined up on the gunship. The pilot of the gunship didn't even try to evade Jewel. She got a missile lock tone and fired. Jewel didn't wait for the missile to hit. She banked hard to starboard and targeted another gunship. Jewel switched her weapon to the particle beam turret and fired at the gunship until it erupted into an expanding ball of plasma and hot gasses. She pulled up avoiding the cloud of debris.

  Doc and Mike were each busy. They had split off from each other to attack different gunships. A quick flash of light, from one of the destroyer's weapons, brought my attention back to what we were doing. The girls formed back up on my wingtips, and we turned to attack the warship. "The tactics are different with capital ships. We don't have the firepower to destroy them, but we can make them less effective by damaging their gun turrets and wreaking as much havoc as we can. As long as we go in fast, and keep moving, their gun turrets won't be able to lock onto us."

  ****

  Natasha closed in on the enemy cruiser. Both ships were hammering it out with each other, firing missiles and energy weapons. Neither ship's captain or crew noticed the Vengeance joining the battle. Red locked his ship's weapons onto the cruiser and fired the battleship's main guns. Bolts of energy shot towards the cruiser from his ship's main turrets.

  ****

  We chose one of the
destroyers and attacked. I locked onto one of its weapon turrets, flying an evasive pattern to avoid a weapon's lock from the destroyer's weapon turrets. I got a missile lock tone and fired then banked away and switched the target acquisition computer to the next target, lined my Marauder up and fired again without waiting for a missile lock tone. Amber took advantage of her position and took the opportunity to fire a few shots while maintaining her place in our formation. Her ship's cannon destroyed a few PDC turrets, creating a blind spot in the destroyer's defenses against incoming anti-ship missiles.

  We veered off and lined up on the next destroyer. It turned to flee, accelerating away from the battle. It wasn't fast enough to accelerate away from us, and there were no gunships left to defend it against our attack. This time we split up, each of us choosing different targets. Jewel locked onto one of the destroyer's primary weapon turrets and fired a missile at it. She banked her ship hard and fired two more missiles, point blank, at the destroyer's bridge, pulling up hard. Amber launched a missile at a PDC array, turned away from it locking onto a gun turret and fired a pair of scorpion missiles at it, before forming back up with Jewel. I took a chance shot and fired a missile into an open missile port on the destroyer. I got lucky, and my missile flew into the launch tube.

  Jewel's missiles penetrated a weak point in the destroyer's armor destroying the armored shutters that covered the bridge's viewports, The quartz viewports shattered from the blast, causing explosive decompression killing all of the bridge officers. My missile, detonated inside of the launch tube detonating the waiting hunter seeker missile's warhead. The explosion opened up the bow of the destroyer to space. Its engineers and surviving officers could still fly the warship from its auxiliary controls located in engineering, but it was out of the battle.