Aaron’s chest tightened. “We’re missing something. Go strictly thermal. Give me a view of the pursuing vessels on the tactical holo-imager.”
Lee tapped a few commands into his console. A 3D holo-image, showing an outline of the three pursuing ships appeared above the center forward area, projected from the imager in the overhead.
“Now, enhance the resolution of the space between our ships to maximum. Leave their ships at normal resolution.”
As Lee adjusted the image according to the parameters given, several barely noticeable orange spots—indicating far less heat output than the hostile vessel—appeared in-between the pursuing ships and Hammerhead’s perspective. Space was cold, starships generated extreme heat, and didn’t have cold spots, or any particular surfaces drastically cooler than other puts of the hull. Those insignificant and hugely varied specks of heat shouldn’t be there blocking the full thermal image of the pursuing vessels.
“Damn! Flaps, hard over! Go starboard! Angle us down z-minus thirty degrees. Lee, set PDCs to manual fire—direct astern. Aim along the vector from the enemy contact, fifteen-degree field of fire only. Keep it narrow and protect our tail. Fire!”
As Flaps threw the ship hard over to starboard and angled down below their current plane, Hammerhead rumbled slightly as the PDCs rattled off rounds astern. The ship rocked, deep tremors reverberated throughout. Those little blots had changed course to match theirs.
“Registering multiple explosions, above and to the rear of our position, only a few thousand kilometers. Detecting matter/antimatter traces. What the hell?”
The enemy was firing antimatter warheads, but Hammerhead was at flank speed heading away. Somehow, the projectiles avoided detection by all but one of their sensors. The thermal overlay colored the outline of the unknown ships in orange and red, ranging from nearby detected minimum temperatures, in this case the void and the highest detected value: the enemy ship. But small lightly colored dots along a direct vector from Hammerhead and her pursuers indicated something else very small—given the distances involved—was between them and the contact. The thermal sensor could not scan through a physical object and see beyond it to the pursuing enemy contact. The contrasted high-resolution image against the backdrop of the thermal image of the enemy ship, revealed the ordnance.
“Feed that data directly to the PDCs. Have it target any anomalous or mismatching heat readings anywhere near us,” Aaron ordered.
Their pursuers didn’t accelerate, but Aaron was certain these enemy ships could overtake Hammerhead. That they hadn’t already done so puzzled him.
Nothing was as it seemed.
Chapter 24 – Surrender
Imperial Destroyer—Pilum
Quintus stood with his hands behind his back, facing the tactical display.
Several minutes earlier Phalanx departed the nebula to engage the unknown approaching ship. What should have been an easy disable and board operation, was about to become a rescue operation for him.
He warned the fool Brutus not to leave the nebula and to allow the other unknown ship to depart. Quintus was certain the other ship they monitored entering the nebula would have someone aboard who knew what happened on Atlas Prime. Instead, for reasons unknown, the fool had pursued the fleeing ship and taken a devastating hit. Time was against Quintus. He still needed a way to dispatch a message to the Emperor and spread word of the Praetor’s treachery throughout his squadron and the rest of the fleet. The single largest issue was, many in the Empire desired war with the USS and he didn’t know how many of his crew might support the Lord Praetor.
Of course, his squadron was loyal to him, but they were also loyal to the Empire. If they longed for war with the USS, then he was as an obstacle to that goal. Brutus couldn’t have accomplished this much without wider support within the Navy. However, he couldn’t sit idly in the nebula while a United Fleet ship, an unknown ship at that, destroyed his flagship and not take action.
“Helm, take us out of the nebula. Full speed.”
“Weapons, load the severus antimatter missiles. Now is a good time as any to test these stealth weapons. If you might program them to detonate just beyond the ship that would be fine. I do not wish to destroy it.”
“Yes, Lord Commander, and lasers?”
“No. Lasers would certainly do too much harm. I intend to capture this vessel and its occupants intact.”
Pilum emerged from the nebula just as Phalanx veered off, stricken with damage from a face-full of antimatter weapons. The USSF and the Empire both seem to have made the breakthrough at the same time, quite the coincidence. Although the United Fleet warheads were blindingly fast unguided torpedoes.
The unknown vessel swung around and began to accelerate along a different vector.
“Analyze that vector and project likely destinations.”
“Calculating,” the navigator said. “Nothing for hundreds of light-years along that vector. It seems they are in a hurry to go nowhere.” He looked back at his instruments. “Lord Commander, our missiles were intercepted far beyond the desired range, it seems their PDCs are up to the task.”
Quintus shook his head. “After how much the engineers touted their stealth systems?”
“Indeed, my Lord.”
“Very well then, medium power only to lasers, precision targeting, aim for their engines. Once that ship’s main power is out, helm, take us within range. Inform the centurions to prepare for boarding action. I don’t want any surprise bursts of antimatter projectiles ruining us like Phalanx.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pilum cut loose with an effective barrage and soon burned through her targets polarized armor. It took longer than usual especially given the increased output of these new lasers. It was something to note.
“They’re using some type of new armor, flag it for intelligence and analysis,” Quintus said.
“Yes, Lord Commander. The vessel’s main power is offline and their main engine is disabled. Reading only minimal power now.”
Quintus motioned to his comm officer, who opened a hail to the unknown vessel.
“Unknown vessel, this is Lord Commander Quintus Scipio of the Imperial warship Pilum. Stand down and prepare to be boarded.”
****
Hammerhead
The message repeated.
“Unknown vessel, this is Lord Commander Quintus Scipio of the Imperial warship Pilum. Stand down and prepare to be boarded.”
Aaron leaped from his seat, Quintus Scipio!
“Lee, signal our surrender.”
“Sir? Imperials?”
“Now, Lee! Before he changes his mind. He has no idea who we are, we’ve got no identification transponders. We’re not at war yet!”
Quintus Scipio.
Whoever Quintus was, the Imperial agent on the planet gave his life to ensure Aaron would somehow find him. Now he had.
It was time for some answers.
He heard Lee signaling their surrender, everyone was fine apart from a few knocks. The laser strikes quickly penetrated the new armor and burned into the hull. He suspected that was largely to do with the power available to the polarized armor on this small strike craft. That they’d survived the strike at all, revealed volumes in terms of the level of protection it offered over the previous generation of polarized armor plating. Either that or the upgraded Imperial lasers were remarkable. Enough to disable them with precision strikes, yet no catastrophic damage.
The ship shuddered. Another craft—the boarding party—had likely connected to the outer airlock.
Followed by Miroslav and Lee, Aaron moved down the ladder to the small cargo deck. He stepped to the inner airlock and keyed it open, granting the Imperials access. They stormed the cargo bay and grabbed him first, a rifle butt to his gut and one to the back of his head. Perhaps they should have been gentler with their surrendered prisoners.
Lee took extreme offense to the umbrage. The first yowl told Aaron some poor Imperial trooper would be laying in a recovery bed f
or a month. He looked up and winced as a second trooper struck the far side bulkhead, a distinct crunch was heard. Oh dear, that one might be dead.
A trooper then held a rifle to Aaron’s head and Lee paused mid-swing. He’d poised to strike another trooper with his bionic arm when a commanding voice yelled from the airlock.
“Stop!”
The Imperial troopers froze—the one pointing the gun at Aaron’s head lowered it.
“Who commands this vessel?” the new voice asked.
Aaron raised his hand from the floor. “That would be me down here.”
“And you are?” the voice questioned.
“No one important.”
The head honcho nodded.
“Very well,” he said. “No one important, you agreed to surrender, why are three of my men near death? We could have destroyed your ship.”
Lee answered that. “You charged in here and assaulted us. We offered no resistance, you’re lucky they aren’t dead. Deal with me but I guarantee you, I’ll kill a lot more before you take me out. Starting with the one right in front of me.”
Aaron shook his head. “Lee, my friend forever, stand down, release the trooper.”
The Imperial looked toward Lee. “No harm will come to you, so long as you come peacefully. I give you my word.”
“The word of an Imperial means nothing to me. I surrender because my Commander asks me to.”
“Very well,” the Imperial said. He turned to one of his men. “Centurion, assist the Commander off the deck. Take him to medical. Have medical examine him and address whatever injuries he’s sustained. See after your injured men and place Lee and the other quiet one in a separate cell.”
With a sweep of his cape, the Imperialist trotted off through the airlock.
****
Quintus awaited the arrival of his guest. After having their injuries tended to, he summoned the Commander to his office.
The man’s green eyes didn’t hide their contempt for Quintus. Quintus ordered comfortable restraints be placed on the guest. They would not restrict his movement, so long as he moved slowly. If he tried to run, or move his hands wildly, the restraints would activate.
“Commander, sit please,” Quintus said, as his guard ushered the Commander in.
The Commander hesitated a moment, then took the offered seat.
Quintus dismissed the escorting guards. “I am Lord Commander Quintus Scipio of the Imperial Navy, as it would seem you carry the same rank as I, you may refer to me as Quintus. That is Empire custom. And you are a guest of the Empire.”
His guest snorted. “I’m no Lord Commander. I think you’re confused. Since I’m a guest—can I go now?”
“No,” Quintus said. “It could be worse—you could be a prisoner.”
“What do you want, Quintus?”
“I want to know, who you are, why you chased the other ship to the nebula, and what happened on Atlas Prime.”
The Commander shifted in his seat. “Oddly enough I was looking for you and I don’t know what happened other than Atlas was attacked.”
The Commander probably thought he was trying his best, but Quintus knew he was lying. “Now that you’ve found me,” Quintus said. “It would be a good time to say why you were looking for me, because from our point of view, we’ve captured you fleeing Atlas Prime after a catastrophic attack. Why did you attack the planet, is this how the USSF deals with its dissidents?”
“Atlas is my home. I didn’t bomb it. Neither did the USSF. Perhaps you can explain the presence of an Imperial operative down there?”
Quintus raised his eyebrows. “You met Platus?”
“Oh, Platus, was he? He’s more ‘deadus’ now.”
The blood drained from his face and Quintus lowered his head and squeezed his fists. Platus, brother, I’m so sorry. His blood boiled.
He said. “Very callous, Commander. Please would you tell me how he died?”
The guest sighed deeply.
“He died saving me, and a friend. Who I’m not sure was a friend to begin with.”
Quintus rose and stood in front of his guest. “Did he say anything to you? He had a very important mission—I personally dispatched him to Atlas Prime.”
“He said he wasn’t my enemy . . . then his killer shot him in the back and with his dying breath he called your name. What was his mission? Why are you sending operatives to a USS planet?”
Quintus turned away and lowered his head for a few moments.
“Look, Quintus . . . obviously Platus was a member of your crew and meant something to you. He died saving me. Only to be shot in the back by the same people who attempted to kill me on Atlas. Not even I know who they are or in whose interests they’re acting. I can’t believe your man saved me, gasped your name as his last words, and intended for us to be enemies.”
Quintus looked up with fiery eyes.
“Platus wasn’t only my friend,” he said. “He was my brother. And I concur with your assessment. In exchange for your cooperation, I will tell you Platus’ mission. It would help to confirm whether you are my enemy or not. You’re the last person to see him alive. His mission was to confirm or deny the existence of a rogue USS group planning a false-flag attack on Atlas Prime. If you are not part of that group, then you are not my enemy.”
“Rayne, Aaron, former Commander of USS Trident, destroyed thirty-three days ago near the Border Worlds in the Orion system by an unknown and highly advanced starship. My mission, initially, was to make contact with separatists on Atlas.”
Quintus gritted his teeth. Rayne was telling him half-truths. He couldn’t hold that against him, this USSF officer had taken more than an ordinary leap of faith to cooperate with him. “So you, Commander Rayne, are Shepherd’s operative on Atlas Prime. If only he had trusted me enough when I came to him with evidence of the conspiracy within the USS, Platus might still be alive. You see, Commander, his mission parameters also involved finding Shepherd’s operative and alerting them to the danger of a USS internal conspiracy.
“This is a grievance I will personally ensure has repercussions for Shepherd. However, you and I are not enemies. Not of the kind which lurks out there now as we speak. I have further evidence, which I will show you of collusion between your United Systems Deputy Supreme Leader and Lord Praetor Brutus Bannon. Your leader conspired with our Lord Praetor to commit the attack on Atlas Prime and blame it on the separatists, to turn popular support against them. I do not know the precise intentions of your rogue conspirators but to do this he enlisted the aid of extremist Imperials—whose ultimate goal is to burn your beloved United Systems to the core. They used your Deputy Supreme Leader’s ambitions against him. I presume Bannon is at an advanced stage of plotting a wider invasion beyond the Atlas system. Although they know it will be a brutal struggle, they feel they can win it in the short term, based particularly on some new advanced technologies we’ve engineered.”
Quintus left out the part they were aboard one of those fancy new pieces of technology right now.
“How can you be so sure of your conclusions?” Aaron asked.
“I had the advantage of having the chief conspirator—Bannon himself—within eaves dropping range. I suspected initially the Lord Praetor was up to the usual political games, in his bid to gain higher notoriety within the Empire. Not wishing to leave the lives of my crew to chance, I decided to be sure. Platus was Empire intelligence. He had access to the necessary resources. Thanks only to him, I discovered the full depth of the Lord Praetor’s schemes. Platus’ final act saved your life and with that the hope that together we might stop Bannon.”
“And you, Quintus? Where do you stand?”
“There are many within the Empire’s Navy, who wish to invade the USS again and reverse your aggressive expansion. And there are just as many who are content for the status quo to remain. Imperial citizens generally, however, really could not care less. The distinct issue is no one wears their beliefs on their sleeves. If the majority of this fleet supports t
he Lord Praetor that could be a problem. Thus far, none of them is aware of his true intent. All they know is they are on a mission of grave significance to the survival to of the Empire.”
Quintus tapped something underneath his desk and released the passive restraints on the Commander.
“Commander Rayne, you are not my enemy. Perhaps in another life, I would even call you friend. Although we may not be allies, however, we have a common interest. We must prevent this madness.”
Quintus met Aaron in the center—Aaron stood.
“We will assist in whatever way we can to repair your vessel. You will depart and rendezvous with your fleet nearing Atlas Prime and show them this,” he handed Aaron an Imperial personnel device, similar to a Fleet personnel device. “This contains everything discussed between the Lord Praetor and the Deputy Supreme Leader. There might be avenues for you to develop further intelligence from it. Give it to your leadership, broadcast it on Atlas Prime, do what you must. I will return with a copy to the Empire. You will be able to communicate directly with me by using this device while I remain near Atlas Prime.”
Quintus crossed his arm against his breastplate.
Aaron extended his hand.
Quintus shook it.
“What will you do if your crew chooses war?” Aaron asked.
Indeed, not even Quintus was certain. “For once in my life, I am not certain. I am a loyal servant of the Empire. A war could destroy it, and then what would I have to serve. If it comes to war, I might be forced to defend it. Even if I made efforts to stop it—or I could decide to have no part in it. Either way it goes on with or without me.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, Quintus. I hate shooting honorable men.”
****
Aaron spun and Quintus’s personal guard escorted him to Hammerhead where he was met by Lee and Flaps.
Border Worlds (United Star Systems Book 1) Page 20
