“Fire another spread, how soon till laser range, they can't win.”
“Looks like they will ram us.”
“If they do it will be the last of them, and us.”
“Last spread hardly touched them and did not slow them at all.”
“More missiles inbound, releasing countermeasures.”
Still Pike was confident even as four missiles hit their bow.
“Forward shields are gone captain.”
“Steady as she goes, they can't have many of those left. Ready laser canons as soon as they are in range.”
On board Panther.
“No significant damages, their front shields are gone.”
“Hold course and take her down the aft side on passing.”
“Incoming missiles impact in forty seconds.”
Panther shuddered as it took it another hit.
“They have lasers firing.”
On Pikes ship they were gaining confidence again.
“Four hits, that will slow them down, fire lasers.”
“Kill that ship.”
“We have them now.”
On Panther.
“Mark.”
Panther fired eight more smart missiles and opened up with four powerful canon. As laser bolts streamed at them most were diffused by counter measures and the hits were absorbed by the shields. Still Panther shuddered from more hits but the multilayered hull held and they did not slow down.
“Four hits on the corvette, one engine is down.”
Pike screamed.
“Evasive action, get us out of here.”
His crew was not responding very fast as Panther had passed, flipped and was bearing down from behind.
“Engine down and losing containment, we have to eject it.”
“Do it.”
The corvette shuddered under multiple hits from Panther.
“Hull breach deck six. Engine core away.”
The mighty corvette was in trouble and operating on only one engine and limited shields. A hail came through.
“This is captain Zak Jahns, power down and be prepared to be boarded.”
But Pike was not finished yet.
“Keep firing, they can't beat us.”
'Laser canons out of commission. Port missile bays disabled. We have to swing around to fire at them.”
“Shut her down captain, no one wants to die today.”
“Never, they will kill us anyway, move into firing position.”
And that is as far as he got as the bridge lost gravity and lights grew dim. Panther had opened a major power conduit with precision fire.
As Panther passed Pikes crew witnessed something they never had seen before. Panther cartwheeled twice and came into position with lock on the remaining corvette engine.
“This is captain Zak Jahns, power down and be prepared for boarding. We are locked on your remaining engine and will not hesitate, Respond or die.”
Pike knew they were finished and the crew did not deserve to die in cold hard space even though they all knew the risks of pirating.
“Powering down, we surrender.”
As the old, stolen corvette slowed down and it's engine shut down Zak turned to Junes.
“Now what do we do.”
Junes did not respond right away. As she tried to figure the best solution.
“If the brig is still intact we can lock them in there. Then take a skeleton crew and bring it to Girard station. Then they can hold them until Cyrillium forces can take care of it.”
“Good answer Junes, we think alike. That takes this problem out of our hands without killing anyone.”
Captain Pike was at a loss for words as he sat and waited. Panther was close behind them as they came to station keeping.
“This is Commander Junes on Panther, is the brig still intact.”
“Ah, most likely although it is being used for storage.”
“Excellent, that is where you all need to go. Then you will empty enough cells to accommodate your entire crew. No weapons, any deviation will result in death. Please confirm.”
“Confirmed, it will take some time to get this all done.”
“You have one hour to all be in those cells then we will board, Junes, out.”
Pikes crew numbered twenty eight and it was a tight squeeze to get them all in. They made it in time and Junes headed the boarding party. She went with Gina and two others, they came over in the shuttle and secured the prisoners and ship. Between Junes, who had served on Cyrillium corvettes and Gina to handle engineering they figured it would be enough to get the ship to Girard. Zak sent comms ahead of what was coming as well as sending a secure comm to the Cyrillium high command and high council. The response from Girard was surprising in many ways. First was the refusal to let the stolen corvette to dock and then the reluctance of even letting Panther to dock. Perhaps they thought Panther was affiliated with the pirates or maybe because of the problem with Pikes crew.
“We are a peaceful planet and intend to keep it that way. I see no reason that ship of yours should dock. We are well armed and will fire upon you if you come in range. Is that clear.”
Zak had already explained the situation and was at a loss of what further he could say.
“This is commander Junes of Cyrillium space forces aboard the stolen corvette, to whom am I speaking.”
Zak and the crew of Panther were monitoring the comms and some started to chuckle.
“This is stationmaster Paul, can you confirm who you are.”
Junes expected this and had a data packet ready that contained more verification than he would like.
“Sending data pack now.”
It would take a few minutes for the data to be processed but there would be no doubt.
“Ah, this is station master Paul. Your authority is verified, how may we help the Cyrillium.”
Zak was frustrated by all this as he was captain and the authority. But it was hard to beat Junes rank to make things happen, the crew would give him a hard time about it for awhile but, it was what was.
As captain Zak had already stated we will be docking two ships. The pirate crew are all in the brig. We ask that you hold them until command comes and gets them and the ship. You will be well compensated for your time and expenses. Also, there are eight women we will be dropping off. Your government has already given preliminary permission to them and they have been fully vetted. Is this all clear to you station master Paul.”
“Very clear, please hail when in docking range for dock assignments. I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused.”
Junes smiled when thinking about how much the crew would razz Zak about this. The rest of the journey to Girard was uneventful. The planet Girard like many that had been settled over a century ago and that meant that a few old containers were available. Zak found two which be purchased contingent on inspection. The two in question were listed as space worthy freight shells. That meant they had minimal grav plates, heat and were mostly wide open. Zak's crew were also looking for freight to ship if the containers worked out. This was the thing about old ships like Panther, they could grab any amount of containers and freight just about anywhere. Someone found something unusual, four atmospheric capable shuttle craft. Three of them were quite large and the forth was a smaller executive type with a breach in the side. When presented to Zak he said no, they all needed work but Gina persisted.
“Captain, we need another shuttle on Panther and the exec will be a good fit. The three others would be in high demand on several worlds that we will be passing. They are all worth quite a bit when repaired. Plus, they will all fit in the containers you are purchasing.”
“So who is going to repair them, no I can't see it happening.”
“Sir, we have four months before we reach our next destination and the crew has nothing to do anyway. We can fabricate most of the parts we need and buy others at several places along the way. It will be easy to sell the three at triple our cost, better profit than y
ou will get from any other freight.”
“Enough already, we have never done anything like this before so I suppose we can give it a try.”
Gina thanked the captain with a hug and a smile and a thank you.
It seemed that Girard took their duties seriously and had a full armed crew to take over the corvette when it docked. After business was concluded Panther dropped planet-side. This was about the time a message came through from Edahni. The entire crew was now aware of the plight of the mining colony. They were disturbed to hear about recent developments. Zak and Junes had been sitting in the fore galley when it came in.
“Zak, as you have said before, we can only do so munch and get there when we get there. We will do well if we can turn those three shuttles for enough to fill two containers with foodstuffs and supplies. You can't support Edahni out of your personal funds.”
“I do what I can and yet it never seems enough. We will go with Gina's recommendations if the containers and shuttles are as advertised. Meanwhile, lets get out and spend a day just relaxing.”
And they did, landing at one of the resorts caused a stir as Panther barely fit on the landing pad. The amount of noise the ship made was also not the usual. Also was the amount of time it took before the crew before they talked to resort staff who had no idea that they had been in a major battle.
“Welcome to you and your crew captain Zak Jahns. If there is anything we can do to make your stay more pleasant just let us know. Open viewing rooms are ready at the lake for you whenever you are ready.”
The greeter was a pleasant young man who knew his business, he did not even flinch as he greeted Dihr and Uhr or any of the hegmon. He was just a bit intimidated by Zak and Junes, they did not get many Cyrillium visiting. The next day Zak, Hart and Uhr went to look at the containers and shuttles while the rest of the crew relaxed and enjoyed the amenities. Uhr particularly liked the executive shuttle but was not impressed with the others.
“To get those three spaceworthy is hardly worth the effort, maybe if they were free.”
Zak took the cue.
“Yes, they seem to be no more than scrap.”
The company had been trying to sell the shuttles for a long time and there was no one on planet the knew how to repair them.
“If you pay for transportation to get them loaded in your containers you can have those three and another twenty percent off on the fourth. Girard has no mechanics qualified to repair them.”
The deal was done and when Gina heard about it she even hugged Uhr, which really amused Dihr. The crew was relaxed and happy about the new project working on the shuttles. Although half of them knew nothing about repairing spacecraft they were willing to learn. This was something to do on the next long leg of their journey. A comm was received from Cyrillium command confirming the they indeed would come for the lost corvette and pirate crew. They also thanked Zak for keeping the ship mostly intact and spaceworthy. For the crew there was little to do and most were content to just sit and visit in the open air. Zak arranged for resupply of foods and other essentials. As soon as the two containers were ready Panther's crew came on board and prepared to pick them up. Panther was a noisy thing as it screamed through the atmosphere like a rocket. She did have huge maneuvering thrusters so changing course was immediate and took some skill to pilot. Daka, who had been training in the simulator was chosen by Zak to handle picking up the containers.
“Are you sure you want me to do this captain, what if I screw up.”
“I am not worried about it Daka, you have had plenty of training, just don't screw up,. You have the helm.”
“I have the helm.”
Panther made it's way over half the planet to pick up the containers. As they got close and started to drop down Daka realized that he was off target and shakily used the port thruster to adjust. Then he brought the ship horizontal just a little too rapidly.
“Hold on everybody.”
Zak said as the ship slammed down right on target over the containers. Daka ordered.
“Engage grapples and pylons, prepare for lift off.”
The he got the bow up near vertical then fired the mains. They were out of atmosphere before anyone could feel the excessive gee force. Zak stated.
“Well Daka, we are all still alive, good job. But try to do better next time. Set course and execute best speed. I will be in the galley, you have the con.”
Zak left the bridge and headed for a cool drink. Daka would be okay but would never have what it takes to perform under combat conditions. Zak mused, what does it mater, Panther was a simple trader after all. A few days later he was called to the port container where Dihr and Uhr were looking over the executive shuttle.
“The drive systems and controls are in fine shape. The autopilot is fried and of course there is a hole in the side that is easily fixed. This is grax built and will be a great asset. We have the metals and emitters to make it right and airtight and shielded. The auto pilot can be reprogrammed from our back ups on board.”
Zak replied.
“It's grax no wonder you like it. Are you sure that there is nothing else that needs to be done. It seems likely that they could find someone to do these simple repairs, why would they get rid of it.”
Dihr was the one to answer.
“Girard has no real repair facilities and even so they would not be able to reprogram the auto pilot and guidance systems without paying a fortune. Grax nav systems are exclusive so you have to get them from a grax certified engineer which both Uhr and I are, simple.” Zak smiled.
-11-
On Edahni things were hectic as a transport crash landed. Federated had two ships in orbit blockading the planet so it was a miracle that ship had managed to make it down more or less in one piece. The ship would not fly again but it managed to bring critical supplies along with a few more settlers. Outbound comms were still being blocked so they had not known a ship was coming until it came screaming in. It was a credit to the pilots that they made it down with the number of holes in it. The ship was breached but all were in evac suits and survived the landing with few injuries. Berdle was happy that they made it but feared retaliation from Federated. He immediately called for the ship to be unloaded and everything salvageable to be stripped out of it. The worked around the clock to achieve this and it paid off. One day later two missiles came in and made a crater where the ship had been. This was the first time Federated had targeted anything on the ground. Federated was definitely escalating things at a steady rate. On Colisus Two Hallbrook was reviewing a report from Edahni.
“Damn settlers, why do they have to be so stubborn.”
MayBell replied.
“Edahni is no paradise but it is free so your wanting a cut of their meager income is not easy to take. It's not like there is a large population to draw off and there is no great profit to be made there.”
“There is something on that planet, most likely Azurite that is valuable. I know it and so do they , that is why they resist but that won't last much longer. Your boyfriend is not around to help them, have you heard from him lately.”
“If you mean Zak no I have not and he is not my boyfriend. You are way off base about Edahni and it may come back and bite you one day.”
“Go finish your work MayBell and you will tell me if you hear from Zak. I am going planet side and I am not sure when I will be back so keep things running. Do not forward any comms unless it is vital.”
Hallbrook would go and have his fun while MayBell would send a special comm to Zak and the Cyrillium authority. No one knew she had the same access to Cyrillium comms as Zak did plus the high council supplemented her income nicely. Hallbrook would never know just as Zak did not know of her direct connection to the high council. The Cyrillium had people on many planets just like MayBell just as they had other people like Zak out there. The Cyrillium never got directly involved with other worlds problems but they still exercised influence in many other ways than their massive fleet.
The Cyril
lium high council was meeting and once again Zak came up.
“It seems your son has gotten in a bit of a mess again, would you care to tell us what he did now.”
The council lead was neither happy or angry about the mater.
“Zak managed to capture one of those old corvettes that was stolen without a trace all those years ago.”
“We had thought that after all this time people had forgotten about that, such an embarrassment.”
“Embarrassment or not, the ship fired on Panther first yet they managed to take it down despite being a superior ship and still leave it operational. The corvette was still fully armed and a menace to the spaceways. Along with this the entire crew was captured.”
“Yes and a separate report from Commander Junes confirms all this.”
“A ship with a spare crew is on it's way to pick up the corvette and crew so perhaps we will be able to solve this fifty year old mystery. Is there anything else we need to know about this, if not let's move on to the next order of business which also involves Zak. It seems this Federated is considering taking over the planet Edahni, can anyone tell me why they would want this marginal planet.”
Another council member spoke.
“It seems there may be some precious minerals or metals on the planet, maybe even Azurite. So far the colony has refused to pay 'protection' to Federated. A just in report states that they destroyed a ship bringing supplies and continue to blockade as well as blocking comms.”
“If they take over the planet with force it marks a new direction for Federated.”
“They may be little more than pirates but their leader, Hallbrook has aspirations beyond just keeping the Colisus system safe. We need to keep close tabs on developments as Federated has a substantial fleet that is growing.”
“We should keep a few ships in the neighboring system since we are there anyway, just in case Federated needs convincing to not overstep their bounds.”
“So say all, then we will relay word to military command and make it so.”
Zak was not exactly happy because he wanted to get to Edahni as soon as he would like although the progress on the shuttles pleased him greatly. They would stop and pick up some replacement parts for the three large ones while the smaller executive craft was ready to fly. The crew was enjoying working on the shuttles even though some could do no more than clean and paint. The three were going to look new when completed and despite being of an older design they were of a style that was still in demand. Seating twenty plus an ample cargo bay they made great planet hoppers or station taxis. Uhr had already flight tested the exec shuttle and it now rested in the front landing bay. It was ready for the bridge crew to use. This could potentially save lives in an emergency where getting to the aft bay was improbable. Junes approved and then asked if they could arm it.
Zak Jahns Page 10
