The first order of business after securing the cargo ship had been to release the several hundred miners who had been cooped up for more than two weeks down inside the asteroid. Many of them returned immediately to their off-duty quarters while others did their best to get the above ground station operations as back to normal as they could.
Shortly before this unexpected and unwelcome armed cargo ship had come, Hartmann and his small group of determined security officers had held off a group of some twenty terrorists who had been abandoned by the Sheik's forces midway into a boarding operation. The terrorist forces had become trapped on the station when Seamus O'Connell and Neil Patrick had driven off the Sheik of Barsoom himself and several of his terrorist ships with the powerful mining lasers on the Donegal and the Glendaloch. At the end of that earlier altercation, however, the two mining ship captains had been informed in no uncertain terms that more powerful terrorist forces were on their way, and would be arriving shortly. O'Connell and Patrick had departed to seek help. Hartmann hadn't heard anything from them since.
During that previous attempt to take over the station, one of the terrorist's first objectives had been the destruction of the mining station's long range communications equipment. This task had been accomplished by the Sheik of Barsoom's wily and dangerous female agent, Fahada, who had wooed one of the communications techs and seduced him into admitting her into the communications suite. The technician had died for doing her this favor. Since that time, without long range communications, news about what was going on elsewhere in the Quadrant had been totally lacking.
The announcement to the general populace of the station that the same two mining ships which had fought so gallantly on their behalf just a few weeks earlier had returned to the system and had facilitated the capture of the armed cargo ship was good news indeed. In preparation for a face to face meeting with the two mining ship Captains, Hartmann and the colony governor, Henry Fitzhugh, were waiting in the Security Offices.
"We'll be in the docking area in just a few minutes," radioed O'Connell.
"Have you got a cutter or something?" asked Hartmann.
"All I've got are mining sleds," said O'Connell. "No worries. We'll just have to wear our spacesuits."
"Just knock on the door, Seamus!"
Some fifteen minutes later, the two ship Captains had secured their sled to a platform near the main entrance to the mining station and had cycled through the airlock. After shedding their suits, they were escorted to the security area where they were ushered into Hartmann's office. Hartmann got up from his desk and gave each of the ship Captains a hearty handshake.
"Seamus! Neil! It's good to see you back! You were just the distraction we needed to take over that damned cargo ship. You both know Governor Fitzhugh."
Governor Fitzhugh was a smart, hard-working, career miner who had been elected to the position by his fellow miners. He was currently in the middle of his second term and he had proven to be a good choice. Patrick and O'Connell knew him well.
"Hello Hank," said O'Connell as he shook the Governor's hand.
"It's been a while," said Patrick as he did likewise.
"You guys are sure a sight for sore eyes!" said Hartmann.
"'Tis good to see you too, Chris," said O'Connell, "We were afraid it might get pretty bad out here, what with all these stinkin' terrorists slinkin' about."
"So what happened after we left?" asked Patrick.
"We were able to keep that bunch of stray terrorists confined to the airlock area and two or three other compartments until a couple of the Sheik's destroyers came in. We just hustled everyone down into the asteroid when we saw they were coming. They must have figured that comin' in to the rock after us was gonna just be too much trouble. One of the Sheik's destroyers picked up what was left of that group that got left behind and the whole batch of them hightailed it out of here. Didn’t stay for more than a couple of hours. Can't say I was sorry to see them go. They left us alone for more than a week and we were just getting back to normal when this damned armed cargo ship showed up. He put four or five pulse bolts into the station and we decided our best course was just to go back down into the rock."
"We were almost hoping that some of these guys would try coming down inside the asteroid," said the Governor. "I think we would have whupped 'em good; some of these miners were really itching for a fight. Some of 'em still are!"
"Hold that thought," said O'Connell.
"How'd things go for you two guys?" asked Hartmann.
"Not at all like we planned, Chris," replied O'Connell. "We jumped into the Patagonia system to see if we could use their Stage two communicator to call the Santana Nexus but we wound up spending several days there. That same batch of terrorists had been there before they came here. They left a hell of a fine mess behind them. They had destroyed the communications platform and most of the transport spaceships. The folks in Patagonia were hurtin' pretty bad by the time we got there. In fact, we're going back there next."
"So other than checking up on us, what else did you come out here for?" asked Fitzhugh.
"We're on a recruiting trip."
"Really?" responded Hartman, "What sort of recruiting trip?"
"First, let me finish tellin' you how things went down. After we got the situation as squared away as we could in Patagonia, we' finally ended up in the Federation spaceship Scrapyard over in New Ceylon. The Scrapyard folks told us that the Santana Nexus was in the hands of this Sheik of Barsoom and that we weren't likely to get a very warm welcome there. Commander Oskar Kresge invited us to join up with them in the Scrapyard while we decided what to do next."
"I've heard of this Kresge fellow," said the Governor, "I hear he's a good man."
"The best," said O'Connell. "We took him up on his offer but while we were there the Sheik attacked the damned Scrapyard! Me and Neil helped organize a defense and the whole batch of us fought off a pretty determined attack by at least a half a dozen of the Sheik's ships."
"How bad was it?" asked Hartmann.
"Bad enough," replied O'Connell. "There were three destroyers and several freighters converted into troop carriers."
"Tell him all of it, Seamus," said Patrick. "We even got into the fight with our mining ships. Seamus blew a hole clean through the front turret of one of the destroyers and she surrendered right afterwards. Pretty much ended the fight."
"Sounds like it was a pretty near thing," said Hartmann.
"That it was," said O'Connell, "but we did what we had to do!"
The security chief and the colony Governor both wore clouded looks.
"So things are pretty bad all over then?" asked Harmann.
"They are," replied Patrick, "but those folks over at that Scrapyard have got things pretty secure now, especially after they fought off another attack just a couple of days ago."
"A second attack?" asked Hartmann.
"Yeah," said Patrick, "the Sheik's forces launched another attack with even more ships two days ago but this time around they were a lot smarter. Things were lookin' pretty grim there for awhile until the Navy people uncorked their secret weapon. It was something to see, I'll tell you! They managed to power up the main batteries on the wreck of a battleship and they totally annihilated two destroyers before the enemy even figured out what hit them! As soon as them terrorists realized what they were facing, they turned tail and ran. We don't think they'll be back in New Ceylon anytime soon. By the way, one of them Navy people is Seamus' daughter, Tamara Carlisle."
"That the same kid who was always such a good pilot?" asked Fitzhugh.
"The same," replied Patrick, "only she's graduated from the Naval Academy now." He took a sideways glance at the Ensign's father, "Looks to me like she's turning out to be a pretty damned good officer."
"That doesn't surprise me," said the Governor.
"We think the Scrapyard is about as safe as it gets out here in this part of the Quadrant now," added Patrick.
"That's a comfort," said Fitzhugh.
"So, where do we come in?"
"Well...were thinking about going on the offensive, and takin' the fight to them for a change."
"Okay...assume we're interested," said the Governor, "What did you have in mind?"
O'Connell took a deep breath before plunging in, "We're trying to figure out how to infiltrate and liberate the Santana Nexus station, which has become a stronghold for this Sheik of Barsoom. If we can break them there, at the Nexus, we might just stop this whole damned revolution thing before it goes any further!"
"The Santana Nexus?" said Hartmann. "That's a big...no that's a huge station! We're talking about a pretty tall order here!"
"We're thinkin' the sheer size of the place could work to our advantage. There are a lot of people on that station who probably aren't too excited about the way things are currently going and would join us if they had a chance. Especially if we had some stout forces."
"As I said earlier, where do we come in?" asked the Governor.
"You and more than half of the miners out here are Spacers like Neil and me. That and I'll bet at least a fourth of your guys are former military. We came to recruit personnel who know how to fight to help us take back the Nexus and turn the tide of this bullshit revolution!"
Hartmann thought about it but only for a moment. "I can't speak for everybody, we'll have to see who else might be interested, but you can sure as hell count me in!"
"I'll call a meeting," said the Governor. "There won't be much mining going on until we get some things straightened out in this Quadrant. Our ore carriers are all full and there isn't anywhere for us to unload them, at least in the near future. All of the holding bins are full as well. I'm former Federation Marine Corps myself. I'm with Chris here, If we can take the fight to these bastards, I'll be in the front line! I don't think they'll be any shortage of volunteers."
The Governor's prediction was proven to be correct. Nearly two hundred miners stepped forward when the situation was explained to them, eager to get some payback.
The two mining ships left the system, headed for Patagonia.
Chapter 43.
Nacobbus System, on board Federation Prototype cruiser XC-89, on route to UTFN Reclamation Center, January 10, 2599.
The Foul Beastie was test firing her main batteries for the first time in several decades. The personnel on the two observing ships, the Nasr and one of the Scrapyard's cutters, watched as the port weapon strobed out a series of pulses, one right after the other at about a one second interval. The acting Captain of the experimental ship received a call from the engineering section.
"Captain? This is Lieber down in weapons."
"Go ahead, Sergeant."
"It seems almost impossible but the portside capacitors are already recharged, Sir! We can fire them again, anytime we want."
"Thanks, weapons. Let's proceed with the test on the starboard weapon first."
"Affirmative, Captain. Testing starboard weapon now."
The process was repeated for the starboard projector with the same result. The gun fired perfectly and the capacitors were all fully recharged by the time the crew had finished the test firing sequence.
"Let's try a rapid fire test," said Helmsford. "I want alternating fire between port and starboard projectors, one pulse per second. Fire all capacitors on each side."
There was a pause while the gun crew reconfigured the firing parameters.
"I believe we have the settings right, Captain," said Lieber, "Ready to fire on your order."
"Fire!"
The observers watched an impressive display of firepower as the two projectors fired alternately with a one second interval between pulses."
"That was six pulses from each gun, Captain," said Lieber, "Capacitors are already charged and ready to fire again. I must say I'm really impressed with this weapon!"
"We need to boost towards the Scrapyard, but I don't see any reason why we can't practice some more with these weapons as we go. If we're going to use them in battle, we'd better damned well know how they work!"
"I couldn't agree more, Captain."
"Prepare to charge secondary batteries!"
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
The smaller capacitors of the secondary batteries charged without incident as well.
"Fire secondaries!"
A series of smaller flashes strobed outward from the stout little warship.
The three ships of the small convoy continued to head towards the Scrapyard using their reaction engines. The crew of the prototype continued to test their weapons system as they went. They tried even faster rapid fire sequences from the main battery and then worked with higher powered pulses using discharges powered by different combinations of capacitors. In every case, the guns performed flawlessly. Not to be outdone, the crews of the secondary batteries also took the opportunity to test their weapons to the limit. As the small fleet approached the Scrapyard, they ceased firing.
"Captain Helmsford of the Foul Beastie calling the UTFN Reclamation Center."
"Kresge here. I take it you'll be here soon?
"Affirmative, Commander. We should be there within fifteen minutes or so."
"How's that ship working?"
"Surprisingly well, Commander. We spent about half of the time since our microjump just testing the weapons."
"What is your assessment of that ship?"
"I think that in spite of the rather unconventional appearance of this ship that she is extremely formidable. The main battery is simply astonishing! We've been firing multiple sequential pulses and pulses from combined capacitors and everything worked perfectly. This oddball cooling system seems to really help, the capacitors and the projectors didn't heat up hardly at all."
"So you think she's ready to fight?"
Helmsford paused for a moment before replying, "As I said, Commander, I think the ship is extremely formidable. I'd hate to have to face it, even with a real, full-blown cruiser. The ship itself feels like it's ready to fight. The readiness of the crew is another thing altogether. Don't get me wrong; I know that these people are some of the best in the Navy from how well we all worked together on the Larkspur. However, I think that we need all of the time we can get to become familiar with the Beastie and all of her workings. If we work our behinds off, we'll be ready when you need us."
"Thanks for the report, Captain. We'll meet for a more in-depth debriefing after you get to the Scrapyard. Kresge out."
Chapter 44.
Patagonian Star System, January 10, 2599.
The next stop for the mining ships on their tour was the Patagonian system. After translating through the hyperlink zone, the personnel on the three ships of the Federation recruiting mission were relieved to find no sign of the Sheik's forces for a change. Perhaps the fact that the populace was about ninety percent Christian, most of them Modern Reformed Catholics, might have had something to do with that. After the terrorist forces had effectively neutralized any threat posed by the remote colony by destroying the long-range communications and much of the transportation capability of the people in the system, it appeared as though the Sheik of Barsoom's Islamic Revolution no longer had any interest in the Patagonians.
The Donegal and the Glendaloch had come through Patagonia on their way to New Ceylon a little over two weeks earlier and had found a colony reeling from the recent and devastating terrorist attack. The unsuspecting Patagonians had been completely overwhelmed by the well-organized and ruthless terrorist forces that had descended upon them without warning. The system's long range communications platform had been destroyed and small pockets of the population had been marooned here and there throughout the system. O'Connell and Patrick had been able to restore some order by rounding up some of the more far-flung stragglers and doing what they could to patch up a couple of the system's less damaged transports.
Patagonia was known to be a rather poor planetary system but one that had steadily been making progress towards a higher level of prosperity, mostly through the hard work and det
ermination of its constituents. The savage terrorist attack represented a severe setback for the colonists and the continued rise in influence of the Sheik's revolutionary forces in the Santana Quadrant did not bode well for Patagonia's future. After the harsh treatment of the colonists dished out by the Sheik's forces, O'Connell and Patrick figured that the Patagonians would be eager to even the score and the two Captains were hoping to find a rich recruiting ground for more Federation fighters.
The mining ships were equipped with sensor equipment that was intended to locate valuable minerals, not to find living things. Even so, the total lack of any detectable energy signatures as the visitors attempted to make contact with the Patagonians came as a total surprise. From all appearances, Patagonia was an abandoned system.
"Neil? Are you picking up anything on your sensors?"
"No, Seamus, I'm not."
"You don't suppose they figured out some way to evacuate everybody do you?"
"I can't imagine how. They only had a couple of working spaceships."
"I'm going to send out a general call. There must be somebody here, wouldn't you think?"
"You'd sure as hell think so!"
"This is Seamus O'Connell of the mining ship Donegal calling anyone in the Patagonian system. We came back to check up on you. Answer please."
O'Connell repeated his message three times before finally getting a faint reply.
"Seamus O'Connell? This is Juan Carlos. Is it really you?"
"Yes, and I have Neil Patrick with me as well. Where are you? We couldn't get any readings at all."
"We shut everything down and went way deep inside the asteroid when we saw that three ships had transported in. We were afraid you might be another group of terrorists."
Perhaps the most influential leader among the Patagonians was the man who had responded to O'Connell's call, Juan Carlos Montoya. Montoya was a successful businessman, a respected civic leader and also happened to have been a member of the United Terran Federation Navy when he was a younger man.
The Santana Nexus (Junkyard Dogs Book 3) Page 27
