The Santana Nexus (Junkyard Dogs Book 3)

by Nolte, Phillip

  "Captain's Journal, June 15, 2542, Captain Josiah Dobbins reporting. We will be executing a macrojump to the New Ceylon system sometime within the next few hours. My earlier fears were well-founded; it appears as though we are heading into a major battle. Our Monarchist allies believe that they have a decisive advantage in men and in ships for this fight. A diversion in the Patagonian system seems to have worked and the Federation Admirals appear to have committed a serious blunder: they have split their forces. We should have numerical superiority in the New Ceylon system along with the element of surprise. This will not be an easy victory but we and our allies appear to have the upper hand this time around. God willing, our forces will be victorious!"

  Carlisle had found entries that corresponded with the beginning stages of the final battle of the Succession War! This entry from Josiah Dobbins contained information that she had never heard of from any source before. According to this account, Admiral Olaf "Stig" Lambert, overall leader of the Federation forces, had been lured into splitting his command in response to an Opposition feint in the Patagonia system. The official Federation spin on this aspect of the battle had always been that Lambert had put a force in Patagonia as a "reserve." Carlisle shook her head. Count on those pompous old fools to cover their behinds!

  She was eagerly preparing to look at the next series of entries when she was interrupted by a communication that came in through her wrist computer.

  "Ensign Carlisle, this is Kresge, you need to get up to the bridge of the Istanbul right away."

  "On my way, Commander," she said as she reluctantly shut down the displays and removed the cranial net.

  I wonder what the hell is going on now, she thought, as she left her quarters and made her way to the bridge of the diplomatic ship as quickly as she could.

  Chapter 10.

  "...Meridian Imperial Navy El-Nashar Class destroyer.

  Length: 230 meters.

  Mass: 6,800 metric tons.

  Crew: 15 officers and 50 crew fully manned, 5 officers and 25 crew minimum.

  Propulsion systems:

  Reaction Drive: Foucault-Pirone Cesium Ion Drive, Nominal thrust capability 2.1g, Maximum 7g, Emergency 10.1g.

  Hyperdrive: Fifth Generation Pullman-Whitney Overdrive.

  Armament:

  Main: Four 2000 gigajoule Parkinson capacitor discharge pulse beam projectors (5th generation) in fore and aft twin-mount, centerline turrets. Secondary: twelve 5.5 gigajoule Parkinson-Mitsubishi rapid-fire pulse beam projectors in 6 twin mount turrets. External hardpoints to accommodate up to twelve Meridian Hamiyyet or Jasmine Adl guided missiles (these mounts are also often used for transport of external cargo modules containing additional provisions for extended voyages).

  This ship type was developed by the Meridian Imperial Navy as a replacement for the simple, durable but somewhat underpowered Dagger class in 2578. The El-Nashar has proven to be a solid design and continues to be the mainline destroyer for most of the navies of the Islamic Alliance. "

  Hartwell Wrist Comp reference note highlighted for further review by Tamara Carlisle. Excerpt is from "Janes Fighting Ships" (2598 version).

  UTFN Reclamation Center, onboard Federation Auxiliary ship Greyhound, January 2, 2599.

  "Greyhound to Asimov, this is Commander Kresge. Do you have information on the ship that just came through the hyperlink point?"

  "Affirmative, Greyhound, we have detected an El-Nashar Class destroyer, her transponder identifies her as the MIS Nasr. She is listed as a ship in the Meridian Imperial Navy."

  "A Meridian ship? So we don't know if she's friend or foe?"

  "Affirmative, Greyhound. Given the current situation, she could be either. Has the Istanbul been informed?"

  "I' m sure they've been keeping a watch of their own. I also instructed Ensign Carlisle to go to Istanbul's bridge immediately. She should be there by now."

  "This is Captain Nassar of the Istanbul, Commander. We can confirm that the ship in the hyperlink zone is the MIS Nasr. Ensign Carlisle is here and we are monitoring. The Ambassador is on his way to the bridge as we speak." Nassar paused as he received a communication. "A moment, Commander, the destroyer is communicating with us. We will patch through to you. Stage one communication coming through from the Nasr...now."

  "This is Captain Araman Bishara of the Meridian Imperial Ship Nasr calling the United Terran Federation Reclamation Center. Have no fear, we come in peace."

  Since the call was to the Reclamation Center and not to the Istanbul, it was Kresge who responded.

  "This is Commander Oskar Kresge at the United Terran Federation Navy Reclamation Center. What can we do for you, Nasr?"

  Captain Bishara began making his report.

  "We bring information on recent developments elsewhere in the quadrant and we have thirty-seven Federation Naval personnel onboard. Some of them are wounded and will require medical care immediately. We come seeking Ambassador Saladin, to offer our services. We have it on good authority that he has taken refuge here."

  "I guess by now that information is no longer confidential," replied Kresge. "The Ambassador is here and will be joining us shortly. Please continue."

  "We were stationed near the hyperlink point in the Oneida system when the three Jasmine Navy destroyers in our squadron attacked and heavily damaged the FNS Larkspur, a Federation destroyer that had come the system to switch out the crew and reprovision the communications platform. In accordance with interplanetary law, I had no choice but to take the side of the Federation vessel when it was revealed that the other three ships had declared allegiance to the Sheik of Barsoom, a known terrorist. I wish to firmly emphasize that this ship and crew have remained loyal to the legitimate government of Meridian and, as near as we can determine, that currently means we report to Ambassador Saladin. With me now is Captain Jennifer Helmsford of the FNS Larkspur."

  The captain of the Larkspur appeared on the viewscreen alongside Bishara.

  "Captain Helmsford, here. We owe a great debt to the captain and crew of the Nasr. We were minutes away from being totally destroyed by those three ships when the Nasr intervened."

  "What is the status of your ship, Captain Helmsford?" asked Kresge.

  Helmsford looked as though she had been physically stunned by the question. Her next words came out with visible difficulty.

  "The Larkspur was...a total loss, Commander. She was barely holding air when we were forced to abandon her. We were attacked without warning and suffered multiple, devastating, close range pulse beam strikes. The action left us with both batteries destroyed and nearly a third of the crew dead or wounded. Thanks to the Nasr, we were able to abandon ship just a few minutes before the reactor went critical. She...couldn't be saved, Sir. There wasn't a lot we could do. We were brutally attacked without warning."

  "My condolences on the loss of your ship and for the members of your crew who were killed, Captain," said Kresge.

  "Thank you, Sir."

  There was short silence as all of the parties reacted solemnly to the news of the lost destroyer and her crew.

  "This is Ambassador Saladin," announced the Ambassador, who had been listening in for the last several minutes. "My condolences to you as well, Captain Helmsford. The loss of a ship is never easy, even if such a loss is inevitable."

  "I thank you for your kind words, Excellency," replied Helmsford.

  "And how are you, Captain Bishara?" the Ambassador continued.

  "I'm fine, Excellency, but I'm afraid that I bring bad news. This Sheik of Barsoom's forces are gaining strength."

  "Bad news indeed," replied the Ambassador. "Do you have any other information?"

  "Some, Excellency, but not very much, I fear. The Sheik's forces are gathering at the Santana Nexus, preparing for some kind of significant activity. We have not yet been able to determine what this activity is. It seems impossible, but we have also heard that they have somehow blocked access to the Sol-Terra hyperlink point."

  "We may have more information
regarding the hyperlink situation," replied the Ambassador. "You say you don't have much further information on the situation at the Santana Nexus?"

  "My apologies, Excellency, we do not. We do, however, have several prisoners from those defected ships, one of whom is a bridge officer."

  "A moment, Captain," said the Ambassador.

  The personnel on the three ships in the Scrapyard had a brief consultation.

  "Do you think it's safe to allow them to come here?" asked Kresge.

  "It is impossible to be certain," replied the Ambassador, "but Bishara's father was one of my most trusted officers while we were fighting the uprising on Meridian's moon. I have even met this young man but I confess that I do not know him well."

  "I can vouch for Captain Helmsford," said Kingston, who had joined the bridge crew on the Asimov. "I've met with her on multiple occasions. She's a fine officer and Federation to the core."

  "What do you want to do, Excellency?" asked Kresge

  "I believe it to be worth the risk to invite them to join us," replied the Ambassador.

  "It's your call, Excellency."

  The Ambassador concluded the conversation with the Nasr.

  "Please come in to the Reclamation Center, Captain Bishara, we need to talk to you and Captain Helmsford. We'd also like to spend a little time with those prisoners."

  "As you wish, Excellency, we'll be initiating a microjump towards you in the next few minutes."

  Chapter 11.

  UTFN Reclamation Center, on board Meridian Imperial Diplomatic Ship Istanbul, January 2, 2599.

  With over two hours to prepare, the Scrapyard leadership had plenty of time to get ready for the arrival of the overloaded destroyer. A delegation of Federation people made their way over to the Istanbul and were there waiting when the destroyer arrived in the Scrapyard. After directing the Nasr to park where they could keep an eye on her, one of the Istanbul's cutters picked up Bishara and Helmsford and brought them back over to the big diplomatic ship along with the worst of the wounded and the five prisoners. The injured were whisked off to the Istanbul's infirmary while the prisoners were transferred to the brig. Bishara and Helmsford were ushered into an interrogation room. Within a few minutes, the two destroyer captains were joined by the Ambassador and a contingent from the Federation forces, including Kresge, Harris, Carlisle, Harvick and Admiral Kingston. Several of the Ambassador's guards discreetly took up positions near the door and along the walls.

  Helmsford and Bishara went into more detail regarding the events that had brought the two of them together in the Oneida system, including the fact that the three defected destroyers had been operating their power plants in overload mode in a very risky attempt to temporarily boost their rate of fire and their shield strength.

  "They are indeed fanatics," said the Ambassador, "putting ships and crew at risk like that."

  "With respect, Excellency, perhaps with three to one odds they hoped to end the battle very quickly. As you know, the Federation ships are considerably more powerful and better protected than those of the Islamic Alliance."

  "I am aware of that, Captain Bishara, best if they hadn't attacked in the first place!"

  The two destroyer captains told the Scrapyard contingent everything they could think of pertaining to the incident over the next hour and a half. When it was evident that no more information was likely to be gained, Kresge suggested the next course of action.

  "Does anybody besides me think that we maybe ought to question those prisoners, now?" asked the Commander.

  "I was thinking the same thing," replied the Ambassador, "I'll have them brought in." He nodded to the guard nearest the door, who saluted smartly and left for the brig to retrieve the prisoners.

  At the guard was leaving, the Istanbul's doctor came into the room.

  "You said you had need of my services, Excellency?"

  "Have you gotten the wounded squared away?"

  "My staff is preparing some of the most seriously injured for further attention. I have perhaps a half hour or so before I need to get back to the sickbay."

  "Very good, Doctor," said the Ambassador, "We won't keep you any longer than we need to.”

  Chapter 12.

  Individuals who practice the mysterious art of Truthseeing have always been extraordinarily rare. Only about five people a year -- out of thousands you make the attempt -- are able to master the extraordinarily difficult techniques and earn the title of first level adept. The tradition was started sometime in the late twenty-first century when the technology necessary for the development of the Truthseer sensor net finally became available.

  There are many common misconceptions surrounding the profession. The Truthseer sensor net has been referred to as "the most sophisticated lie detection system ever developed." More accurately, the sensor net allows the adept to obtain physiological information about the individual or individuals who are being examined. This information is used to augment both innate abilities and abilities that the adept has developed during a rigorous training regime..."

  Hartwell Wrist Comp reference note highlighted for further review by Tamara Carlisle. Excerpt is from "Lie Detectors Throughout the Centuries" by Edith Falcone, District Court Judge (ret.), Santana Quadrant.

  UTFN Reclamation Center, on board Meridian Imperial Diplomatic Ship Istanbul, January 2, 2599.

  The combined command staff of the Junkyard Dogs decided to question the enlisted men among the prisoners before they interrogated the officer. The enlisted men, while they were not expected to be well-informed about what their leaders were planning, might inadvertently drop information that could prove to be useful when they got around to questioning the officer.

  The Scrapyard team set up an interrogation room on the Istanbul and placed the Ambassador's wife, Sondia -- who was also a renowned and respected Truthseer -- at the foot of the table wearing one of her more obvious Truthseer net devices. The prisoners were brought in one at a time and submitted to questioning. As expected, the four enlisted men, three from one of the enemy destroyers and one from a different ship, really didn't have much useful information. Two of the men professed that they had not even been aware that their ship had defected to the Sheik of Barsoom's revolution. Sondia Saladin was able to verify that these men were telling the truth and when they vowed allegiance to the legitimate, democratic government of Jasmine, they were released. Almost as expected, the only one of the prisoners that had any useful information was the bridge officer.

  His interview proceeded quite a bit differently.

  The officer was ushered in to the interrogation room under guard. He was a young man with an attitude best described as both belligerent and condescending. Fortunately, he also turned out to be cocky enough that he was unintentionally helpful. As he was ushered into the interrogation room, he wore a sneer. He took a look at Sondia at the foot of the table with her truthseer net on and sniffed in disgust.

  "I'm not sure you can handle the truth, Mr. Ambassador," said the young officer.

  "Please have a seat, Lieutenant," said the diplomat from his chair across the table.

  "I demand that you release me into the custody of the Jasmine authorities at once!" the captive announced, "I have done nothing wrong and am being illegally held. That cursed Federation ship attacked us first."

  From the foot of the table a strong, calm woman's voice said, "Those last two statements are both lies! Perhaps you would care to rephrase your answers, Lieutenant?"

  The young man said something in Arabic that brought the Ambassador out of his chair with his arm cocked and ready to deliver a blow to the arrogant young man.

  "You will keep a civil tongue in your head, or by the heavens, I'll Space you myself!" said the Ambassador. Kresge was mildly shocked; he had never seen the diplomat so angry. "Keep in mind that you have been detained as a terrorist, young man. That basically means that you are denied any rights you might normally have been able to count upon!"

  "Hold, Saad," said Sondia, a
lmost gently, "He is but a young fool and he is far more afraid than he is letting on. Perhaps because, deep down, he truly feels as though he has made some serious mistakes?"

  The young man glared at her but did not respond verbally.

  "We will not harm you, if you provide us with the information we are seeking," said the Ambassador.

  "Long live the Sheik of Barsoom! You will all die! I will celebrate on your graves!"

  Ambassador Saladin turned to the Istanbul's doctor, who was leaning against one wall of the room and up till now had simply been observing.

  "I've had quite enough of this travesty," said the Ambassador, "administer the interrogation drugs, Doctor, we have need of this young fool's information."

  The doctor gave the prisoner an injection. The young officer glared balefully at him while the drugs were being administered but had no choice but to submit to the procedure. After about thirty seconds, the prisoner began to visibly relax and within a few minutes the young man was pliant and providing answers for any question that he was asked. He could not be blamed for adding some of his own commentary; the drugs provided a path to what the prisoner knew but they did not block access to his true feelings.

  "Do you know what the Sheik of Barsoom's immediate plans are?"

  "He will be putting together an insurmountable force and eradicating this accursed Scrapyard as a threat forever!"

  "You are saying that another attack on this system is imminent?" asked the Ambassador.