The Hope Island Chronicles Boxed Set

by PJ Strebor

  “Commander, contact,” Ensign Willet reported from the Tactical Station. Young but competent Vogel had said of him. “I am detecting hyper-egressions at the inner marker. If they approach at space normal speed they should be within sensor range in seven hours. Nine hours to orbit.”

  “They? Be specific, Ensign.”

  “They’re too far out for specifics, sir. Best guesstimate, three ships, possibly freighters.”

  Ryden set course back to Spinney at flank speed. As soon as he closed to within comm range he contacted Vogel.

  ***

  Nathan’s external comm beeped. “Vogel,” he said.

  “Ryden here, Captain,” the Pruessen said. “We have a problem.”

  “Go ahead.” I’m surprised our luck has held for this long.

  “We have three vessels inbound. They should make orbit within nine hours. Your T-O’s best estimate is that they’re freighters but we won’t know for sure until they get closer.”

  “Very well, Commander. Move yourself and Odenwald to the far side of the planet.”

  “Done.”

  “Good,” Nathan said. “Commander don’t get spotted. If they are who I fear they are, surprise is the only thing that can help us offset the odds. Stay hidden and float the buoy.”

  “Ha, already floated. Willet made the same suggestion.”

  “Good for Willet. Stay safe Ernst and report to me when you’ve got concrete ID on the ships.”

  “Shall do. Ryden out.”

  Nathan took a sip of his coffee. It had gone cold. But not as cold as the blood running through his veins.

  “How bad?” Moe asked.

  “Not good.” He explained the situation.

  “What’s your gut telling you?”

  “It’s telling me we’re in big trouble.” Nathan rubbed at the bump above his right eye.

  “How long?”

  “Nine hours,” Nathan said.

  “So, got anything in mind?”

  “Yeah. Let’s take a walk.”

  Ten minutes later they stepped into the office of the repair facility administrator.

  “And what can I do for you, Lieutenant Vogel?” Siegert’s smile had disappeared when Nathan sent out an order forbidding anyone from getting within a hundred meters of the hangar. Including Siegert.

  “We have three ships inbound to this world,” Nathan said. “Are you expecting company, Siegert.”

  His shrug and indifferent smirk made Nathan’s blood boil. He dragged the square head from his chair and pinned him to the wall by his throat.

  “Today is the wrong day to fuck with me.” Nathan glared into his eyes. “Who are they?”

  “Could be anyone,” Siegert croaked. “I told you before, we’re an open port. Open to anyone.”

  “Including the PLF?” Nathan could tell by the delay that Siegert was about to lie. He struck him in the solar plexus. “Did you enjoy that?”

  “Asshole,” Siegert said between lips spread thin with pain.

  “Oh, I’m just getting started. Are they PLF?”

  Again the delay. Nathan pulled back his fist.

  “They could be. They drop in semi-regularly to resupply.”

  “How are their ships armed?” Moe asked. Again Siegert delayed answering. “How would you like scrambled eggs?”

  “Huh?”

  Moe glanced at his groin and raised her eyebrows. Instinctively the Pruessen covered his most vulnerable area with his hands.

  “I’d answer her if I were you,” Nathan said. “She kicks like a buffalo.”

  “I’m not privy to such information,” he said, then held up a hand as Moe moved on him. “But I’ve overheard some crews talking about them taking on cruisers with their ships.” He looked from Moe to Nathan. “They drink, and when they drink a lot they talk a lot. That’s all I know. Honest.”

  “You wouldn’t know honest if it bit you on the ass,” Moe said.

  “Come on, Moe, we’ve got work to do,” Nathan said.

  “All right.”

  As they walked from the office Moe turned to Nathan. “She kicks like a buffalo?”

  “How would you like scrambled eggs?”

  Despite the dire circumstances they shared a laugh.

  CHAPTER 68

  Date: 26th November, 326 ASC.

  Position: Planet Spinney. Northern Quarantine Zone.

  The township of Ravensthorp was a dreary little place, a lazy backwater with a slow pace and placid townsfolk.

  The arrival of hundreds of PLF crewmen dramatically changed the sleepy township.

  Drunken fights would break out in the bars and spill onto the main street. Rivalry between differing ship crews festered and after a sufficient intake of alcohol, brawls took over what little good reason the thugs had.

  The town’s female population had fled the moment word came down that PLF ships had assumed orbit. Bitter memories of their first visit to the town had left an indelible image of rape and murder embedded within the townsfolk’s minds. No better than Headhunters, they would take what they wanted and no one would attempted to oppose them if they wanted to keep breathing.

  Dressed in casual civilian garb, Nathan observed the ongoing commotion from a discreet distance before returning to the spaceport. Locked within Adroit’s briefing room Nathan weighed his options while considering his strategy. He stepped onto the near vacant bridge and did a passive scan of the orbiting ships. The town was not under surveillance by the PLF warships.

  Nathan left the bridge and found Moe and Grace who were outside enjoying the sun.

  “Captain Okuma,” he said.

  “Captain Telford,” she returned.

  “We need to take a trip.”

  “All right,” Moe said.

  “Is that buggy of yours capable of carrying two?”

  “Yeah. Where are we going?”

  ***

  The external inspection buggy sped across the flat prairie, leaving a trail of fine dust in its wake. Nathan hung on for dear life as Moe opened it up to its maximum speed. Finally they reach the rendezvous point, exactly one hundred kilometers east of the spaceport.

  Nathan could just make out the landing boat on the distant horizon, skimming across the flat terrain, growing in size as it bridged the distance between them. Nathan and Moe turned their backs to the boat as it set down, churning up a violent dust storm in the process. Leaving the buggy for the return journey they entered the boat. Twenty minutes later they stepped aboard

  E 692 and proceeded to the briefing room. As Nathan had requested Commander Ryden had Kellerman and Hoppe waiting for him. Ryden rose from his chair and Nathan waved him down. He gestured to the two non-coms to take seats.

  “Commander, how’s the boat?” Nathan asked.

  “She’s fully functional,” Ryden said. “The additional crew have helped a lot, Captain.”

  “Good.” Nathan turned to the chief of the boat. “Kellerman, your record shows that you were raised aboard a PLF ship.”

  He eyed Nathan with caution. “Yes, Captain.” Pain darted briefly across his face. “I managed to escape a month after they murdered my father.”

  “Tell me about the PLF.”

  “The People’s Liberation Front was founded with high ideals. A resistance movement against the new regime. Help where they could to protect the citizens of Pruessen from the many injustices meted out by the reformation. That worked for a time but gradually changed. Little by little the PLF became ruthless, exterminating any opposition. Absolute power corrupting absolutely.” He shook his head slowly. “Freedom fighters don’t resist an unjust regime by systematically bombing civilian targets whose opinion they disagree with.”

  “So, they’ve become mad with power.”

  Kellerman nodded somberly. “Crazy as cut snakes, and twice as dangerous, Captain.”

  “I can attest to that, Captain,” Ryden said. “I’ve seen the aftermath of one of their attacks
firsthand. They are murdering fiends who should be expunged without mercy.”

  “I’m glad we see eye to eye about that Commander, because I intend to do some expunging.”

  “I like the idea,” Ryden said, “but is it advisable, under the current circumstances. We have only one boat and the enemy vessels are massively armed.”

  “I understand your concern, Ernst.” Nathan took a moment to consider his next words. “I could talk about the danger they present to us. How every day they’re here is another day we risk discovery. I could go on about their atrocities and our need to move from this planet, but at the end of the day I couldn’t live with myself if I let these murderous bastards keep breathing. They are an abomination and I want them dead. All of them.”

  Ryden nodded.

  Nathan stared at Kellerman and Hoppe. “Do you two feel like volunteering for a mission that might get you killed?”

  Kellerman nodded while a dangerous smile slithered onto Hoppe’s face.

  CHAPTER 69

  Date: 27th November, 326 ASC.

  Position: Planet Spinney. Northern Quarantine Zone.

  From the side of the hangar Nathan zoomed his monocular in on Siegert’s office. Twice a day PLF personnel conducted business with him. What that business was didn’t concern him. The fact that they were within eyesight of the hangar did.

  “Very well, Captain,” Nathan said.

  Moe approached the four members of Adroit’s crew. The four most beautiful women on the boat. All of Adroit’s crew wore civilian garb.

  “Come now ladies,” Moe said, “you’ve got a job to do, so let’s see a bit more cleavage.”

  One of the young women blushed as she undid the top two buttons of her blouse.

  “Do we have to do this, skipper?” Ensign Leah Perrie asked.

  “I know this is humiliating for you all,” Moe said. “But it will have a decidedly positive outcome, I assure you. Now off you go. And be casual about it, as if you didn’t have a care in the world.”

  Ensign Perrie stepped up and led the other three out of the hangar. They stood outside chatting casually. Nathan could sense their fear. Since they were the bait for the next part of his plan they should be. The PLF’s treatment of women was even more appalling than that of Headhunters.

  “Come on, come on,” Nathan whispered. Three PLF crewmen finished their business and left Siegert’s office. Heading for their flatbed truck it looked as if they might miss the bait. Then one of them propped in place, his jaw dropping. The others followed his gaze then the three of them headed for the hangar.

  Nathan waited until they were within hearing distance before commencing his performance. He strode through the side door and stood in front of the women.

  “Are you mad,” he shouted at them. “Get back inside now.”

  On cue he ushered them into the hangar and closed the door. Sure enough, within a few minutes someone pounded on the door. He waited until the third knock before opening it.

  “What?” Nathan said, opening the door.

  “You’ve got women in there,” the largest of the three said.

  “Women? Here? No. Just doing some repair work to my freighter. No women here.”

  “I saw them, you lying turd,” the big guy said. “We want them. Hand them over.” They reached for their sidearms.

  Six heavily armed Athenians, all male, backed Nathan, pulsar rifles aimed at the newcomers.

  “Get lost,” Nathan said.

  “Do you know who we are? We’re PLF. You’ll hand your women over or we’ll return with every man we have and take them.”

  Nathan feigned nervous fear and shook his head.

  “Right. Stand up to the PLF will ya? You’re all dead men.” The trio left in a huff.

  So far, so good.

  ***

  An hour before sundown Nathan spotted a huge number of armed men heading for the hangar. So large was the group that they left a sizeable dust cloud in their wake.

  He keyed his internal comm.

  “Grace, is that all of them?”

  “I detect two hundred and seventy-seven,” she said from the tactical station. “As far as I can tell that’s the lot. Except for the landing boat crews. But we know where to find them.”

  “Good.” Nathan keyed his comm off and took the stairs from the roof to the hangar floor. He stepped onto the bridge a minute later.

  “Captain,” he said, “permission to occupy the combat sphere.”

  Knowing that everyone on the bridge was occupied with their duties, Moe rolled her eyes and poked her tongue out. “Permission granted.”

  He winked at her before strapping in and descending into the sphere.

  “SMC, configure combat sphere for real time image, no magnification. Confirm.”

  “Confirmed, Captain.”

  Nathan sniffed. With everything going on, no one had thought to upgrade the SMC as to the change of command. The hollow panels winked to life. He reversed the chair so that he had a view of the huge hangar doors. With no remote access to the doors, two crewmembers stood ready to open them manually. Then take cover.

  “SMC, secure channel to Lieutenant Okuma.”

  “Channel open, Captain.”

  “You ready, Moe.”

  “Yep.” She cut the comm before opening a boat-wide channel. “Attention, crew, this is the Captain. I know that some of you will find what we are about to do as distasteful, and without honor. But remember what we know about these creatures. Think about what they’d do to us if they got aboard. We cannot allow any of them to escape. If just one of them does, and sounds the alarm, that’s game over and we will never see home again. Remember your duty and do your jobs. Captain out.”

  Nice.

  “Captain Telford,” Grace said, “they’ve just arrived at the hundred meter mark.”

  “Very well,” Nathan said. “Open the hangar doors.”

  Powered by human effort the doors rumbled aside. Now Nathan could see what they were up against. Emboldened by their numbers they marched toward the hangar. These fiends feared nothing from the timid ‘freighter’ crew. After all, they were PLF. They stayed on the road leading to the hangar. A tightly-packed column of well-armed killers kicking up a trail of dust.

  With the doors fully open Nathan hovered the boat and slowly began backing Adroit outside. The PLF soldiers saw the boat and slowed their approach. He keyed his comm.

  “Lieutenant Noffke, are you ready?”

  “Just give the word, Captain,” the marine officer said.

  “Good. Grace, open the landing bay hatch.”

  The two L50 pulsars, magnetically sealed to the landing bay, were designed to cut through armor. Even at their lowest power setting the effect on mere human flesh would be horrendous.

  “Very well, marines. Fire.”

  The marines cut through the packed lines of PLF soldiers from left and right in a continuous fine beam setting. Dozens fell in batches six rows deep. As the slaughter continued some of the soldiers tried to flee and were cut down by the snipers on the roof. Others were picked off by Adroit’s crew hidden in the scrub to either side of their formation. In less than a minute the awful carnage ended. Two hundred and seventy seven butchered corpses littered the ground.

  Nathan edged Adroit back into the hangar then retrieved from the combat sphere. He couldn’t recall a time when such intense silence dominated the atmosphere of the bridge.

  CHAPTER 70

  Date: 27th November, 326 ASC.

  Position: Planet Spinney. Northern Quarantine Zone.

  From a tactful distance Nathan watched Kellerman and Hoppe as they approached the first landing boat. The containers of fresh produce were being unloaded from the flatbed truck with the use of anti-gravs before being transferred to the huge landing boats.

  Adroit’s marines had scouted the area yesterday and had confirmed that only two LB’s were in use. This confirmed Nathan’s assumption that t
he PLF were on Spinney for an extended stay. Over his external mike, he followed Kellerman’s progress.

  “Hey,” Kellerman asked one soldier as he approached. “Who’s in charge?”

  The soldier inclined his head toward the person in the tattered tunic.

  “You in charge?”

  “Yeah, Lieutenant Mittermeier,” he said. “Wadda ya want?”

  “Nothing. Just wanted to know your name, is all.”

  Kellerman pulled his sidearm and shot the officer in the head. He took down the other personnel with equal ease. Hoppe ran to the first LB to silence the pilots while Kellerman did the same to the other. Sighting down the scope of his sniper’s rifle Nathan shot anyone who got a hand to a weapon. Hoppe stepped from the LB with the two pilots.

  “You want to live?” he asked them.

  They nodded.

  “Landing codes for all three ships.”

  “We don’t need them. Not on Spinney.”

  Nathan sensed fear from the pilot but not deception. Hoppe waited, impatiently, until Nathan gave him the kill signal. The bodies of all nine PLF crewmen were dumped in a shallow pit to the side of the apron. Considering the wholesale slaughter of the day, Nathan did not feel the slightest hint of regret. A fitting end to the worst garbage in Tunguska.

  Striding across the dusty track he stepped aboard the first LB. He examine the flight-deck and found the controls crude but familiar enough to fly it without effort. The rudimentary communications device presented no problems.

  The commandeered flatbed truck stopped and Commander Tollini stepped out. He examined the pit of death.

  “You’ve been busy,” he said around a short smile.

  Three containers had already been loaded onto LB 13. Nathan had them removed and parked next to three empty ones. Each container measured six meters square with a height of three meters. Nathan opened the single huge door revealing the cavernous interior.