by Sid Kar
“Overyk, plot a course towards the sun but then bring us out behind our enemies using the sun as cover,” Raptor said.
“Computer is plotting,” Overyk said, “We will have to go very near the sun for that.”
“That is alright,” Raptor said, “We will be switching full power to the shield for our maneuver anyhow.”
“Enemy One and Three following us into the sun,” Horyett said.
“I hope we are not going in that…” Antrar chuckled. He knew the room was tense especially those officers who were informed in advance by Raptor of the maneuver he planned to execute.
“Reporting for duty, sir,” Alvina and a few other officers from the last batch to take a break said as they stepped into the command room.
“Get to your stations,” Raptor said, “the battle will be joined soon.”
“Starship Conquistador in a stable orbit around the star,” Flyptar said, “Overyk, handing it over to you for the navigation.”
“Taking over,” Overyk said, “Enemy One and Three are behind us but I doubt they know where we are. I am going to order the computer to go vertical then do an inverted parabola roll behind them.”
“Execute,” Raptor said.
“Navigation computer engaged,” Overyk said.
The particular maneuver was hard to execute perfectly for the pilots and the flight staff and near the sun it was dangerous too. But the computer pulled their ship straight up in rapid acceleration than flipped it like an inverted parabola into the rear of their pursuers and again rapidly decelerated.
“In position behind Enemy One and Three,” Horyett said.
“Create an energy reserve for rapid acceleration,” Raptor said.
“Reserve created,” Flyptar said.
“All powers to forward shields,” Raptor said.
“Forward shields fully charged, added extra layers,” shields officer Avyk said.
“Enemy One and Three turning around to face us,” Horyett said.
“Engage the Commodore Override,” Raptor said.
“Commodore Override engaged,” AI officer Zurryvk said, “computer fail safes disengaged.”
There was a slight murmur amongst the officers and the crew who hadn’t been informed in advance of their plan.
“Quiet in the command room,” Barryett roared and it was silence again.
“Overyk, lock in on Enemy Three,” Raptor said.
“Navigation Computer locked on Enemy Three,” Overyk said.
“Sound the collision alarm,”
“Collision alarm live,” Dorrvyk said and red lights started flickering and a harsh alarm blared throughout the entire starship announcing collision warning and ordering everyone to strap themselves in the safety belts.
“Accelerate and strike Enemy Three,” Raptor said.
“Accelerating,” Flyptar said and held for dear life. He had been told in advance but that didn’t make it easier.
“Sir! Sir!” Alvina and a few other officers and crew shouted who were kept in the dark. They panicked and thought that they had misheard their Commodore.
“Brace for impact,” Raptor said and prepared himself mentally. If he was wrong, the shield would probably hold but the impact would still cause significant damage.
Starship Conquistador launched itself like a shell out of a cannon straight into Enemy Three and then suddenly both were thrown back in opposite directions with a rear jerk.
The officers and crew abroad the spaceships were first thrown forward and then jerked right back. They were disheveled from the dual shocks but Raptor was quick to his senses.
“Turn the starship 180 degrees, Capitan Flyptar,” Raptor said.
“Ship turning,” Flyptar said.
“Accelerate light speed and beyond, all power to the engines,” Raptor said.
“Power switched to engines,” Flyptar said.
“Accelerate, I want safe-max hit 7,500 lights, fast, fast,” Raptor said.
Flyptar and the flight crew kicked the starship into rapid acceleration and it shot away from the Sun and started putting huge distance between them and the enemy spaceships.
“That is not possible!” Alvina exclaimed and she appeared to be near tears, “That should not have happened. Only another Starfire Starship would have our same magnetic fail-safe…”
Raptor did not want to say anything to her and he looked at Col. Tollvyk.
“Capitan Alvina, compose yourself and hold steady,” Tollvyk said, “No time or place for speculation.”
Alvina looked back into her computer but there was no task for her and she was thinking the same thoughts as everyone else in the command room.
The final fail-safe – Electromagnetic Polar Collision Aversion System – had come alive at the last moment. When two Starfire spaceships were in danger of colliding, this system generated massive electromagnetic force and created equal magnetic polarity into the two ends of the ships on the verge of striking each other. A north – north magnetic poles opposite to each other would repel the two spaceships away and instantly kick in a rear jerk from the emergency thrusters. This system was installed in all the Starships of Starfire Empire.
Commodore Raptor knew that everyone in the command room was stunned including himself. They all knew about this fail – safe system, everybody who had ever stepped in a spaceship knew, as it was standard for both military and civilian vessels. Him and Antrar had suspicions but the confirmation did not make it any easier. He looked at Antrar who was shaking his head. Someone in their own Army wanted to sabotage their mission and was willing to go to the extent of launching an attack. And he felt bad for destroying one of their own Starships. He wondered if the officers and the crew abroad that spaceship knew what they were doing and who their target was or if they were just following orders.
Raptor had to get his officers’ mind into the task again. Somebody would pay and pay dearly for this but first he had a mission to fulfill.
“Capitan Horyett,” Raptor said, “What are Enemy One and Three doing?”
“Enemy Three managed to kick in deceleration before being plunged into the Sun,” Horyett said, “But they must have consumed massive amounts of power to counter a star’s gravity at close distance. I don’t think it will have the energy left to catch up to us.”
“And Enemy One won’t try on its own,” Barryett said, “We can easily chew out a lone ship and they know it after our last battle.”
Raptor stood up and looked at everyone’s face, “Attention,” he said. “I know what you just witnessed is very hard to accept. It appears that parts of our own Army are working against us, even attacking us,” Raptor watched everyone look at him. He took a look at Alvina and she had visible fear on her face. “But we have a mission to fulfill. We must help the Nestorians. They are our protectorate and abandoning them would dishonor the Starfire Empire. But I promise you, after this is all done; I will personally take this Starship and strike right into the homes of whoever is responsible.”
The crew nodded their heads in affirmation and support.
“I am putting a secrecy order on the knowledge of this event and the data our machines collected,” Raptor said, “It doesn’t go out beyond this room without my prior authorization. I don’t want a collapse of morale in our ranks. Me, VC Barryett and the Army Detective team abroad will get to the bottom of it. I want full focus and concentration on our mission from the rest of you.”
The officers went back to their stations and desks and buried themselves in their work. They felt unease but there was nothing for them to do and a secrecy order from a commodore forbade all talk of it even amongst themselves.
“Colonel Tollvyk, please help escort Com. Antrar to his quarters,” Raptor said, “He has been with us through his injury and all. He needs rest.”
“My pleasure,” Tollvyk replied and helped Antrar out of the room. They fetched a hovercraft and Tollvyk directed it to the containment bay where Antrar’s spaceship was still sitting. Antrar had put on a boot c
ast and could walk almost normal now. Tollvyk ordered the starship guards to clear the spaceship for takeoff as Antrar took his seat in the pilot’s chair and prepared for his personal journey to Pirates’ Heaven.
Chapter 20: Airship
Nolfus beamed his identification code to the air traffic control and received permission to fly his airship forward over the nature preserve. The nature preserve was a small slice of forests and wild animals preserved amidst the jungle of steel and concrete that was the crowded planet of Nestor with a population of 3 billion people and hundreds of thousands of skyscrapers. The air space over nature preserve was off limits to airships to prevent collision with birds, most of whom were rare species, but as the traffic control answered to Republican Guard, Nolfus could not really be denied permission.
The cloaked man sat next to him wearing the same robe and cloak he had worn last time. There was no one else and Nolfus had dispensed with his personal guards.
“Did we have to come here?” Cloaked Man asked, “Your airship is secured to prevent electronic eavesdropping.”
“It is,” Nolfus replied, “against known methods but I don’t know what secret sensors the Army may possess that will be available to general Bakus. But in the nature preserve strictly no construction is allowed and there are no sensors in this area.”
“Good,” Cloaked Man said, “Now what I had predicted has come true. Hasn’t it?”
“Unfortunately,” Nolfus replied.
“You were skeptical of Remus – Bakus plot to take over our Republic,” Cloaked Man said, “But now the Chancellor has granted permission for all the battleships to be placed under Bakus’ control. No announcement has been made outside the senate although they do plan on informing you and the generals.”
“I don’t need it from the official channels,” Nolfus said, “the news has leaked to us at the headquarters since there are Republican Guard troops abroad a few battleships as light infantry.”
“What do you plan to do about it?” Cloaked Man asked.
“Suppose Bakus is right and there are indeed 15 battleships of these aliens on our way?” Nolfus asked.
“You don’t believe that, do you?” Cloaked Man said, “That would be almost half our total fleet. Would we send out such numbers far away in the enemy territory we know nothing about?”
“Probably not,” Nolfus said.
“But if you are not fully convinced of the conspiracy,” Cloaked Man said, “Suppose Bakus is right, then we will join him in the fight with the other generals and the Battleships orbiting this planet,” Cloaked Man said, “But if it is a conspiracy and Bakus takes command of all the battleships then he will replace the officers with his yes-men and who can stop him then?”
“What do you want me to do?” Nolfus asked.
“Take command of Nestor,” Cloaked Man said, “You hold the future of the Republic in your hands.”
“What about the four battleships in the orbit?” Nolfus said, “If General Vegus Sukus doesn’t go along, we could have a pitched battle with our ground batteries. A lot of civilians would die if the battleships try to take this planet by force.”
“Seriously?” Cloaked Man turned to look at him, “You are the elite troops of the republic. Don’t tell me you haven’t trained for the scenarios to take the orbital spaceships by surprise raids.”
“We have,” Nolfus said.
“You are an army man, I don’t need to tell you the operational sequences,” Cloaked Man said, “Let’s turn around. I have to get back to the senate and you have a mission to plan.”
General Vegus Sukus was filing his nails while pushing out his lips as he was wont to do when locked in deep thinking. It was not right for Bakus to use Nestor as the bait and leave only their four battleships to bear the brunt of the initial assault. He had just been informed of the battleplan and he was none too happy about it. This Mercurian Empire as it was now designated would come in hard and they would have to absorb the first strike. Bakus and his battleships would ride to the rescue as heroes but him and his crew may be dead.
“General, a Republican Guard contingent is requesting permission to dock,” shuttle and bay staff officer Tolus informed him.
“What for?” Vegus asked, “We haven’t requested any yet.”
Tolus sent a request over the communications channels to the shuttles floating outside Battleship Defender’s shuttle bay and received an instant reply.
“They say they have orders from the Chancellor to defend these Battleships against alien boarding parties,” Tolus replied.
“I doubt these aliens want to board us,” Vegus said, “and we have Battleship Guards to protect us if there is a shooting battle abroad the ship. Besides I have received no such orders.”
“The Senate is probably in chaos, they might have forgotten to inform us,” his second-in-command Joules said.
“Could be,” Vegus said, “Can’t hurt to have additional soldiers. Allow them to dock.”
“Republican Guard shuttle leader, permission granted to board Battleship Defender,” Tolus said over the radio communication.
Vegus hated his thinking to be interrupted and he was trying to catch his thought where he had left off when alarms started ringing. It was a strange alarm that he had only heard in training and it took him a few seconds to realize that it was for a combat situation abroad his spaceship.
“What the hell is going on?” Vegus asked, “who ordered a damn drill?”
The entire bridge was confused and the officers tried to communicate with the crew and get answers but there was only confusion on the other end. A few minutes later they heard laser blasts ringing off the battleship’s interior and the sound of sparks and metal pieces breaking off.
The half dozen Battleship Guards present inside the bridge took off their laser long guns from their shoulder slings and took positions against the two doors leading to the ship’s interior. General Vegus and the officers ducked behind the panels and peaked over their desks.
The doors blew up simultaneously and tens of Republican Guard troops rushed inside. The Battleship Guard soldiers opened fire and felled many in the corridor but they themselves were shot down in retaliatory firing.
“Enough,” General yelled standing up, “Enough.” The Republican Guards had stopped firing but it was because no one was resisting. A few officers had laser pistols but dare not reach for them with laser guns pointed at them.
“What is going on here, Capitan…” he said to an officer who walked in after his troops had secured the bridge.
“Capitan Oilus Barrlus, general” he said, “apologize for our dramatic entrance but we couldn’t trust your cooperation.”
“And what the hell do you think you are doing?” Vegus spoke defiantly even with two laser guns pointed at him.
“Saving the Republic,” Capitan Oilus answered, “From Bakus’ conspiracy.”
“That is madness,” Vegus said.
“You shall see soon,” Oilus said, “we mean no harm to you or your crew. Once Nestor is secured and your cooperation is assured, Commander Nolfus will have need of you to combat general Bakus and his battleships.”
Vegus was left speechless. He didn’t know what to say. He had never been interested in politics in his life and paid no attention to it. Perhaps that is why, of the five battleship generals, he was put in charge of Nestor’s security because the senators felt safe with his apolitical outlook on life. He didn’t even have a whiff of the shady politics brewing in Nestor’s sewers that now threatened a coup for the first time in Nestorian Republic’s history.
Chapter 21: Pirates Heaven
Antrar Wyft decelerated his spaceship as it approached the asteroid belt that was colloquially known as the ‘Pirates Heaven’ amongst the smugglers, pirates, space outlaws, and the frontier fleet crews that chased them across deep space. There were millions and millions of asteroids that circled a star that wasn’t unusual in size or intensity. What had turned this asteroid belt into a preferred location for
the scofflaws and the fugitives was first its location and secondly the astronomy. It was in the space that served as a buffer between three empires and thus neither one maintained a permanent fleet presence to avoid provoking the other two. Secondly, there was no planet orbiting outside of the asteroid belt, all three planets were nearer to the sun. This allowed pirates and smugglers to accelerate fast if an Army Starship showed up. There was no strong gravity field to escape beyond the asteroid field itself.
Antrar Wyft had raided this place more than a few times and had to turn around when his targets had made it into the belt. A big spaceship could not enter the field for the risk of striking asteroids one after another and subjecting its shield to continuous depletion. If a squadron of starfighters were sent inside, then all the residents of this place joined up to defend one of their kinds and unleashed a torrent of lasers and rockets. They disliked each other but they were united in their hatred of state fleets.
Antrar Wyft was glad his was a civilian spaceship. If he had borrowed a starfighter than he would have had a lot of explaining to do, that is if he was lucky to avoid the invariable shots that would be taken at him. As his spaceship entered the asteroid belt and he dodged through them, no one fired at him even though he saw a motley crew of spaceships and floating stations spread about hither and yonder. As far as they were concerned, he was just another one of them.
He searched the asteroid belt for the space station that was Jiggermaster’s holdout. He had never seen it but he knew it by the description. It took him a couple of hours of flying at relatively high speed with a couple close calls when he finally saw a space station in a relatively empty region of the belt. It was shaped like a vertical cylinder with a donut-like structure in the center. There were green lights at the top but the rest of metal was silvery in color. Some distance beyond it was a large spaceship which he recognized as Jiggermaster’s Sky Raider, a spaceship he was all too familiar with and could have drawn its exterior with every detail filled in just by his memory.
