Trader Vyx

by DePrima, Thomas

  When the mess was cleaned up, the Colorado was again ready to welcome new visitors. Search parties were assigned to search the broken hull of the cruiser to see if anyone was still alive. The ship's company in a Raider vessel of that size was normally around eight hundred to a thousand.

  Amazingly, the search parties found two hundred thirty one crewmen alive and trapped in airtight sections. It took hours to free them. Portable airlocks had to be set up at the air-tight doors, and then the Raider crewmen had to be transported to the Colorado using the shuttles appropriated from the ships taken from the airlocks. A cargo hold was quickly converted to a holding facility, but guarding prisoners would add another layer of problems to the blanket of difficulties already covering Jenetta.

  The day after the cruiser was destroyed, Jenetta was working in her office when a message was received from another GSC ship. The captain of the heavy cruiser Song announced that they were on their way to the Colorado's location, and expected to arrive in two months. Jenetta had served as captain of the ship for more than a year, and probably knew most of its current crew. She welcomed the news mainly because of the additional firepower that it would add, but also because it would give her an opportunity to renew old friendships.

  Jenetta's spirits had been buoyed by the messages from the three ships that were coming to assist, and the situation continued to improve as three more ships notified her of their expected arrival date. The Geneva would still be the first, but the imaginary task force that she had told the commandant was coming, was in fact really on its way.

  The news naturally excited the crew. Some had acquaintances, friends, or even relatives on the ships, but most were just glad that reinforcements were coming as quickly as possible, and everyone began counting down the days until the Geneva arrived. The appearance of the first destroyer would make a world of difference. The crew of the Colorado would no longer feel so cut off and totally alone in this dangerous area of space.

  After thirty days in the Raider asteroid, Jenetta wondered if Commandant Bacheer's influence over the Raider personnel was continuing to hold. Many of the Raiders would be somewhat healthy again, although weak and dehydrated, the flu probably having run most of its course by now. Over the following month many would return to full strength and begin hatching plans for escape. After the space-worthy ships were pulled away from the airlocks, Jenetta had Lieutenant Commander Cameron's people sabotage their engines and weapons. Of course the Raiders wouldn't know that even if they managed to get inside any of the ships, they couldn't make use of them. It was still twenty-nine days from the expected arrival of the Geneva.

  Jenetta was sitting on the floor in her quarters, wire-brushing the smooth dense fur on Cayla's head while the big cat purred contentedly, when Lieutenant Commander Pulsen began whispering in her left ear. Tayna, who had been busily licking her fur as she lay near Jenetta's feet, stopped and looked up. The two cats could always sense when Jenetta was receiving a message on her CT.

  "Captain, there's something going on," she heard her first officer say.

  Jenetta pressed the face of her Space Command ring with her thumb and said, "What is it, Ken?"

  "The doors to the base are closing and Commandant Bacheer is demanding to speak with you immediately."

  "I'm on my way. Carver, out." Jenetta jumped up and said to the two cats, "Stay here, girls."

  As the cats settled comfortably back down, Jenetta hurried from her quarters and ran to the bridge, just down the corridor.

  "General quarters!" Jenetta said as she entered the bridge. "Tactical, this might be a diversion. Watch for movement inside the cavern."

  Lieutenant Commander Pulsen immediately announced on ship-wide speakers, "General quarters! General quarters! This not a drill. Possible Raider action. Man your battle stations."

  Jenetta walked to the com station and said, "Put Bacheer on."

  The com chief touched a point on the console and said, "He's on, Captain."

  "Commandant Bacheer, can you give me a good reason why I shouldn't let my torpedo gunner fire the three torpedoes that we have armed and ready?"

  "Captain, please don't fire! Several men have locked themselves in the control room, and they are the only ones responsible for this action!"

  "What do they hope to gain?"

  "They're drunk! They want an end to the waiting! They want you to fire the torpedoes!"

  "You're asking me to believe that three men have decided to commit suicide, and take everyone in the habitat with them?"

  "That's about the size of it. As I said, they're drunk. I beg you to be a little patient. We're doing our best to get them under control, but they're heavily armed."

  "Don't you have stun grenades and stun pistols?"

  "Yes, but they're armed with lattice pistols and rifles."

  "It appears that your control has broken down. I warned you what would happen when it did."

  "Captain, I have 6,246 men and women in here. They've been sick for weeks and they're frustrated with just sitting around. A few broke into the alcohol stores in a warehouse, and drank far too much to listen to reason."

  "Commandant, I'll give you one hour to get the base doors open. Do what you have to do to make that happen."

  "They'll be open by the end of that hour, Captain, if I have to go out and crank them open by myself."

  "Better not, Commandant. My gunners have orders to shoot anyone seen outside the habitat."

  "I have to go now."

  "One hour, Commandant."

  The com officer terminated the connection, and Jenetta sat down to watch the front viewer. Motion detectors would sound alarms on the bridge if anything moved outside the ship.

  After fifteen minutes, Jenetta went into her office to prepare a mug of coffee, then returned to her bridge chair to watch the forward viewscreen as she sipped the steaming black liquid.

  Fifty-six minutes into the allotted time, the giant doors began to open up again. As the hour ended, the doors finished their travel, and the cavern was open once again.

  Jenetta stood up and said to Lieutenant Commander Pulsen, "Call me if we have any more problems. I don't believe the story about drunks wanting to die."

  "What do you think that they're up to?"

  "I don't know. Maybe you'd better send a shuttle out to investigate. Have them look around outside the asteroid as well. Maybe there was something going on out there that they didn't want us to be able to investigate."

  "Aye, Captain. I'll take care of it. I'll stay on duty until the shuttle returns so that I can debrief the team personally."

  "Thanks, Ken. Goodnight."

  "Goodnight, Captain."

  Jenetta was able to sleep through the night without interruption. In the morning, she checked her messages and saw that the team sent to check for any sign of activity outside the asteroid, had reported that they saw nothing amiss. Changing into her sweats, she took the cats to the gym with her for her morning workout.

  After she'd showered and had her breakfast, Jen relieved Lieutenant Kerrey on the bridge. As the rest of the first watch crew reported in and relieved their counterparts, Jenetta walked to the helmsman's station.

  "Lieutenant, I'd like you to move the ship. Take us across the cavern and position us in the shadows just beyond the far end of the habitat, with our bow facing the cavern entrance."

  "Aye, Captain."

  Using just thrusters, it took less then ten minutes to move to the new location and position the ship as Jenetta ordered. Once in place, they were approximately forty-five kilometers from the site they had occupied since first arriving inside the asteroid. Satisfied with the new location, Jenetta walked to her briefing room to start her workday.

  When Lieutenant Commander Pulsen arrived on the bridge just prior to 1600, he immediately noticed the position change as reflected in the front view on the large monitor. After receiving an update on the status of the ship, he asked, "Was there a problem with our location, Captain?"

  Jenetta, w
ho was sitting in the command chair on the bridge, said, "No, I just decided that it might be a good idea to change our location. We've been at our former position for almost six weeks."

  "But we had a better view of the habitat from there."

  "We no longer have a need to closely watch the docking platform or piers, and we can still observe anything that might happen in the habitat. We have a better view of the entrance tunnel from here, and that might prove advantageous. We're in the shadows, and we're not showing any external lights."

  "Are you expecting company?"

  "I've got a feeling that we might see more Raiders before our support ships arrive."

  "But the Geneva should be here in less than two weeks."

  "A lot can happen in twelve days. Let's make sure that everyone stays on their toes, even more than usual."

  "Aye, Captain. We'll be extra vigilant."

  "Good. The bridge is yours, Commander."

  "Goodnight, Captain."

  Jenetta was having breakfast nine days later when the alert sounded over the ship'sspeakers. She dropped the spoon into her cereal and raced for the bridge as the general quarters announcement was made.

  "Sitrep, Don," she shouted to Lieutenant Kerrey, the third watch officer, as she burst onto the bridge.

  "Warships, Captain. It looks like three of them from the sensor readings and communication signals that we're getting."

  "Where are they?"

  "Since their arrival a few minutes ago, they appear to have taken up stationary positions outside the asteroid."

  "Are the Raiders in the habitat communicating with them?"

  "We haven't intercepted any com traffic yet. Engineering is prepared to jam their signals."

  Lieutenant Commander Pulsen came running onto the bridge, and ran to where Jenetta and Lieutenant Kerrey were standing. "What's going on, Captain?"

  "Three warships have taken up positions outside the asteroid."

  "Ours or theirs?"

  "Must be theirs. We haven't received any com traffic, and the Geneva is still three days away."

  "Think this is a rescue effort for the Raiders that we're guarding?"

  "It's probably an attempt to take back the station, although it won't be of much use to them now that Space Command knows where it is."

  "We're being hailed, Captain," the com operator said.

  "Who is it?"

  "They're identifying themselves as the Space Witch. They want to speak to you."

  "By name?"

  "Yes, ma'am. They're asking for Commander Carver of the GSC Colorado."

  "Tactical, turn off the alert lighting. Com, put an image of the individual hailing us up on the front monitor."

  Jenetta sat down in her command chair as the alert lights stopped flashing. The terran face of a Raider captain filled the front screen.

  "I'm Captain Karlsaw of the Space Witch. Stand down and prepare to be boarded, Captain. You and your crew are prisoners of the Raider Corporation."

  "That's a bit premature, Captain, don't you think? You haven't done anything to imprison us."

  "The asteroid is surrounded, Captain. You can't escape."

  "Escape? Who wants to escape? We hold this base and our task force should be here any time. Have you looked over your shoulder?"

  "The Prometheus is still about four or five months away. You can't hold out until they arrive. Surrender now, and you and your crew will be well treated."

  "Well treated? As pleasure or hard labor slaves? Captain, don't be absurd. Besides, we're holding two-hundred thirty-one surviving crewmen of your cruiser, the Space Titan, in one of our holds. You'd be killing more of your own people than mine if you managed to destroy this ship."

  "Casualties of war. Our six thousand people in the habitat more than make up for the few that will be killed aboard your small ship."

  "And how many will be killed aboard your ship if you attack us?"

  Captain Karlsaw scowled. He knew that demanding surrender from Commander Jenetta Carver was pointless. She had refused to surrender on Mawcett when faced by a vastly superior force. Captain Karlsaw knew that he would have to defeat her, or kill her.

  "Brave talk, Captain, but I expected nothing less. I hope that you survive. The bounty that the Corporation has placed on your head will buy my entire crew a month's vacation at a resort planet."

  "Trying to collect it will cost you dearly, Captain. I see little point to continuing this conversation. If you survive, I'll see that you get a comfortable cell of your very own when the task force arrives."

  Jenetta looked over at the com operator and the connection was terminated. Everyone on the bridge waited tensely for something to happen, but nothing did.

  After an hour of waiting, Lt. Commander Pulsen said, "What do you think is holding them up, Captain?"

  "They're trying to decide how to attack us without destroying the station. When we took Dixon, we didn't care if the station was destroyed, so we just threw everything that we had at them. The Raiders panicked, climbed into their ships, and tried to escape. We were able to fight them outside where we could maneuver and had the tactical edge. But in this situation we're better off inside because we're limited to Sub-Light. We'll use the cover of the asteroid to our advantage. Like the Raiders at Dixon, we wouldn't stand a chance outside. Eventually they'll have to come in after us, and they can't just send in fighters because their laser weapons and small rockets would be useless against our hull. They have a real dilemma."

  Jenetta stood up and walked to her briefing room to get a cup of coffee. The Raiders might take hours to make their first move. Jenetta sat down at her desk and composed a message to the Geneva.

  "Message to Captain Simon Pope of the GSC Destroyer Geneva, from Commander Jenetta Carver of the GSC Scout Destroyer Colorado.

  "Captain, three Raider warships have arrived and taken up positions outside the asteroid. They've demanded our surrender, and we've refused. We're expecting an attack at any time. I realize that you're still days away, but I wanted to warn you now about the situation that you'll be flying into, in case we're not able to signal you later.

  "I hope to see you soon. Commander Jenetta Carver, Captain of the Colorado. Message over."

  Jenetta forwarded the message to the com operator with instructions to encrypt it and send it immediately, and then took her mug of coffee out to the bridge. The Geneva should receive the message within an hour if they were within three days travel time. Their top speed should only be about Light-262.

  Jenetta climbed into her chair on the bridge, and settled in for a long wait. She estimated that the first attack wouldn't come for hours, but they had to be ready because it would be fast and furious when it did come.

  A reply came from the Geneva about two hours later. The response time meant that they were definitely within three days travel time. Feeling that it would be a morale booster for everyone to see that help was near, Jenetta had the operator play the message on the front screen.

  "We've received your message, and continue to proceed to your location at our top speed. I estimate that we'll arrive at the base in seventy-six hours. Good luck, Captain. The crew of the Geneva salutes the crew of the Colorado. We know that you'll show the Raiders what a Space Command ship can do, even against superior forces.

  "Captain Simon Pope, GSC Geneva. Message complete."

  The bridge was deathly quiet following the end of the message.

  "Nothing's changed," Jenetta said. "We knew that we were on our own. Stay alert and focused. If we can hold the Raiders off for three days, the Geneva will be here to give us a hand."

  Four hours later the Raiders still hadn't made a move. Jenetta was on her fourth mug of coffee, and everyone was on edge.

  "They should have attacked by now," Pulsen said. "They should have at least sent in a squadron of fighters to pinpoint our location."

  "They believe that they know where we are," Jenetta said, matter-of-factly.

  "How could they?"

 
"The same way that they knew we were here, knew the ship's name, and knew that I was in command. The Raiders in the habitat told them."

  "Impossible. We'd know if they were transmitting anything."

  "You're forgetting the little ruse of closing the doors. I believe they used the diversion to launch a com rocket; probably from one of the conduit tunnels that connect to the laser arrays mounted on the asteroid surface. It would have been programmed to send a prerecorded SOS message to any Raider ship within this sector after it reached a predetermined distance from the base."

  "An act of desperation?"

  "Essentially."

  "So the ships outside the asteroid know everything the commandant knows," Pulsen said. "They haven't sent fighters in because they know that laser fire and limited strength weapons can't damage us."

  "Right. They'll only lose whoever they send, without any chance of hurting us."

  "Then the only answer seems to be a slugfest. They come in using thrusters and we fight it out with torpedoes."

  "But that's not to their liking," Jenetta said. "If they use nuclear warheads inside the cavern, they'll destroy the habitat, and risk destroying the entire asteroid. And they don't know how effective their high-explosive warheads will be against our new hull. They know that we'll score as many hits as they do, and they know that the first ship in isn't likely to survive the assault. I'm sure they're trying to decide who faces almost certain death."

  "Raiders aren't known for self-sacrifice. So we just sit here and wait until they screw up the courage to face our weapons?"

  "We don't have much choice," Jenetta replied. After a few seconds of silence, she added, "Then again, maybe we do." Climbing down from the command chair, she said, "I have to prepare a message for the Geneva; you have the bridge, Ken."

  "Aye, Captain."

  Jenetta hurried to her briefing room and reappeared about five minutes later with a fresh mug of coffee. Retaking her seat, she said, "Be ready for action in about two hours."