“I know!” Jak replied. “He’s gotta be the luckiest man alive right now. That’s not the worse news. Sabin is dead. He tried to strafe the hospital rooms Nova and Je’en were in. The Night Star shot him down and his ship exploded.
Rena turned away and cursed. “Ah! That… that Night Star!” She planted her hands on her hips and scowled. A big part of her scheme had just been plundered. She turned toward Nell. “Nell, Sabin’s accounts,” she mumbled.
“I know. I’ll drain his accounts.” Nell picked up a device and started hacking.
Rena added, “Galen’s and Willa’s, too, Nell.”
Jak said, “I’m not nearly done, uh, queen. They captured Kwelling.” Rena gaped. “They also have broken their protocol about confinement. I don’t know what happened,” he slowly and carefully explained, “but he is… I’m sorry. He’s gone!”
“Gone?” she asked in amazement. “What does that mean? Missing? Dead?”
“I don’t know! None of our contacts have seen him or heard from anyone else as to where he is. They don’t know what happened to him,” Jak exclaimed.
“Did he say anything about the Sim-Sa Gale?”
“Two other battlecruisers are converging and Brax is going to engage them soon. Just like you said.”
Rena stood bewildered. She moaned, “Kwelling?” She turned away from them and gazed up into the dark night, noticing the many stars and two moons that were slowly traversing the sky. She picked out one lone star, “O'bipherion? Is that you? If it is… know this! I’m coming! Ah! I’m coming for you… Prime! Nova!”
She wiped a tear for her beloved and turned toward her friends. She sat down and wiped her face as if she were exhausted, though it was a gesture to rid herself from a few tears for Kwelling.
“I’m going to find him,” she mumbled.
“We’ll all find him,” Aderian said.
Rena looked at him and wondered about his sincerity. She knew he had deep feelings for her.
“Janek?” she asked as she looked at him. “I’ve sent over a dozen men after Boone Nova. No one has dealt with him yet. I’ve plotted and gone to great lengths many times to stop him. He’s my most menacing…”
“Problem,” Janek said. “He’s a big problem for me, too. I will go and get him. I’ll bring him to you. I will need my friend, though. She can meet me on Xeraxes. But, Queen, it will cost you,” he said as he studied her reaction. “And big!”
Rena nodded, “That’s fine, Janek. But, I’ve heard that before. A lot! And another thing. I’ll pay big!”
Janek immediately got up and headed for his ship. He took off and made a call to his friend. She was very happy about a mission, a mission to capture Boone Nova. They would meet up on the planet Xeraxes.
…
Mace, Pryce, and Jona were sitting on the narrow ramp of the Kori Dane waiting for Terra and her ship, Wildfire. While they waited, Mace and Jona amused themselves by trying to rename Terra’s ship.
“Pryce!” Mace argued. “It’s true! She does want a new name for her ship!”
Jona added, “Remember, she had a hard time telling us what its name was. She was ashamed of it.”
“She wasn’t ashamed of it,” Pryce defended her. “She knew how you two are and she was afraid you would make fun of it no matter what it was named.”
“Nope,” Mace said. “I know a good name!” Pryce rolled his eyes and smirked. Mace said, “The Star Fire!”
Jona blurted, “Used too much. How about the Sky Hawk?”
Pryce and Mace echoed, “Used too much.” They chuckled.
Mace said, “Well, intergalactic runners look like an arrowhead, with a long point. How about Arrow-something?”
Jona answered, “Stupid. How about dart?”
Pryce and Mace said, “Stupid.”
Pryce said, “She was a maniac when we fought those gunners! Out of control but totally in control. You know? So, what about…”
Mace said, “The Terra Terror!”
They chuckled again. “No,” Jona said. “Terra is… she is fearless, reckless, and courageous all in one. That’s why I like her. The Intrepid.”
Mace mumbled, “The Intrepid.”
Pryce said, “Hmm, The Intrepid? She won’t go for it.”
Just then they heard the roaring engines of an intergalactic runner. The triangular-shaped ship with an extended nose for a bow appeared. The one-story ship slowly turned and maneuvered so it could land right next to the Kori Dane. Its wide aft section took up fifty yards of space dock, wing tip to wing tip. It contained four rooms for bunking, a fairly large galley, and like the Night Star, a cockpit that could accommodate six cockpit chairs. Each chair could access any sub-station. For the moment, the ship was a dark bluish color, depicting the High Guard Investigation Command from which it belonged. Now, it was Terra’s.
“Terra,” Mace yelled from a distance as she and Lincoln deboarded. “I’ve got a new name for your ship!”
Terra chuckled and rolled her eyes as she approached them. Just then, Kola and his four guardsmen showed up, each carrying a duffle bag.
Terra said, “Everybody come inside, to the galley. I have a message from Boone.”
The galley easily accommodated the ten of them. Terra relayed his message.
“OK, everyone. Lieutenant Sa’vo said that Boone said, ‘Lady Loop.’ Mace, what does that mean? And where is Boone? He said to meet at your ranch, Pryce. What’s going on?”
Mace nodded his head. “Oh, boy,” he muttered.
Lincoln asked, “You don’t know?”
“Yes, I know but we’ll have to figure out why he wants us to do it, and...”
“Mace!” Terra exclaimed while trying to maintain a small smile.
“OK! Well, a Lady Loop is where Boone and I are flying… OK, so far? Like, side-by-side. We are each in our own ship. Then we break off. He goes port and I go starboard. We make a huge loop in the air, I’d say about ten miles apart. So, imagine a big circle, ten miles around, we each go in opposite directions but we meet at one point. A point about ten miles out.”
“Why?” she asked.
Pryce answered, “The large turn makes for very little G-force. If you’re giving someone a ride, they barely feel the turn. Understand that?”
Kola said, “Hence, Lady Loop. You’re just giving someone a slow smooth ride. I don’t get it. What’s he saying?”
Jona answered, “It is also a battle tactic. An air battle tactic.”
“Oh! That’s it, Jona!” Mace continued. “If we’re being followed, Boone and I split up! See? The attacker follows one of us.” He chuckled, “Hopefully Boone! Anyway, if he follows Boone and we are continually making this loop…”
Terra said, “The attacker can’t bear upon him until the loop is completed. The attacker is also focused on Boone, he doesn’t see that he’s about to fly right into you, Boone banks off, attacker sees you, and you blast him.”
“Yes!” Mace said and laughed. “You got it. Genius! Right?”
Terra nodded, “That’s good. It’s a tactic any good pilot should see coming. But, what’s Boone saying?”
Lincoln answered, “I think I know.”
“Me, too,” Mace said. “Boone thinks we might be followed. This tactic can also be used to see if any ship is following us.”
“Right!” Kola said. “And believe me, we are probably being followed this very moment.”
Jona said, “The short range scanners aren’t good enough. The airways are flooded with them. They scan everything that moves and most ships can’t detect those short range scans. But, the long range scan, when you use that, the other ships know they are being scanned.”
Everyone nodded, understanding that should they be followed, they wouldn’t want the pursuer to know they caught on to him.
Pryce said, “This gives us the upper hand if someone does track us. A ten-mile loop will not do for this. My ranch is 600 miles away. If we make a loop, say, starting a half-hour into our flight, we could split u
p a hundred miles from the ranch and make a hundred mile loop?”
Lincoln said, “That’s plenty. Then we focus our scanner behind you and you focus yours behind us. Right?”
Terra answered, “Yes, but, we take the turn very slow and only use the short range scanner which is undetectable. If we use the long range scanners, they will know we are scanning them. If we detect someone shadowing you, we jet after them, full throttle.”
“Yes,” Jona answered, “Then we’ll take ‘em out! Boom!”
Everyone laughed at Jona’s plan but then they thought about Boone’s suggestion to watch out for spies.
Lincoln said, “Boone thinks we’re being followed right now. Seems like he’s already planning the mission.”
They all nodded. Terra said, “I have to say one thing about Boone’s plan, everyone.” She looked at Kola and his four men then Lincoln then Pryce, Mace, and Jona. “He has your safety in mind before his own. I learned that first hand.” She glanced at Pryce again and smiled. “I’d like us all to look out for him. For once.”
They all agreed to split up. Pryce, Terra, Lincoln, Kola, Veil, and Goss stayed with Terra’s ship. Mace and Jona were joined by Chopak and Gunner. Jona, Chopak, and Gunner strictly wanted to talk guns, ships, missiles, and the Kori Dane’s mining laser.
The two ships launched out with the prime standing near the edge of the royal tarmac, waving his hand and smiling. A few other High Guard intergalactic runner’s accompanied them briefly. The small group felt proud as the O'bipherion High Guard escorted them in launching out to find the device and stop the Ambulas.
Chapter 16
“Sir!” Boyd exclaimed. “Problem! Star 9.3.K has the pod and is entering our aft bay now but the Ambulas just jumped into some type of accelerated thrust!”
Captain Eisen yelled, “Time!”
“Sir, it was an hour and fifty-three minutes from us. Now… checking… it’s only an hour and seven minutes away!”
Captain Eisen and Commander J'Dar gaped at the news. Everyone was astonished by the speed capability of the Ambulas.
“We are traveling perpendicular to the Ambulas, Sir. There is no possible way she can target us but my NAV panel tells me she will catch up to us. Very soon, Sir.”
“Where is the Dorian Surge? And Jamisen, open a channel.”
Jamisen opened a channel to the Dorian Surge as Boyd answered, “She is just entering the corridor. She has left the O'bipherion star system. She’s one hour and seventeen minutes from us. But we are traveling perpendicular to the Surge and the Ambulas.”
“Mial,” Devin said. “I can see what’s happening. Can you explain her increase in speed?”
“No!” Captain Eisen blared. “We can’t! She’s fast and… and deadly!” He cursed. “Now is the time for our miracle. Where is it?”
“It’s here, Mial. Have you read the reports on Madam Cumi Bak’Suna and the gamma weapon?”
“What?” Commander J'Dar huffed. “What do they have to do with this? Are they with you?”
“No, Sir. But if you’ve read their reports, you know what I am going to do. In case the Ambulas is listening, Commander J'Dar, I’m taking a page out of the report - Mace Starling. Do you follow?”
J’Dar glared at Captain Eisen and Captain Kapavon. He had not read the reports and he refused to read them. Only because they were about Boone Nova and his friends.
“I’ll… I’ll…” he stuttered. “I’ll have to be briefed. I don’t know what you’re doing.”
He felt humiliated. In front of the crew of both battlecruisers, he, the fleet commander didn’t know what to do and what the all-wise Devin Kapavon was doing. His face blushed as he stood silent.
“I know what you’re doing, Devin,” Captain Eisen said. “When?”
The Sim-Sa Gale was traveling perpendicular to the Ambulas. If it continued the maneuver, it would exit the edge of the corridor in just minutes. The Ambulas countered the Gale’s maneuver by racing toward a fixed point in front of the Sim-Sa Gale, preparing to overtake them somewhere in the dead space beyond the constellation. Dead space referred to space outside the Abdomanon Constellation and not used by travelers. Every ship traveled within a corridor, rarely a ship would travel outside of the corridor or in dead space.
The Ambulas would eventually catch up to and target the massive battlecruiser. But, to the surprise of the Ambulas, the Sim-Sa Gale conducted a very foolish and desperate maneuver – it turned and headed straight for the Dorian Surge.
Aboard the Ambulas, Juvas exclaimed, “Brax! Ha! You’re not going to believe this! The Gale just turned! She turned!”
“Where?” he shouted as he strutted over to his station. “Speak!”
“It’s running! Brax! Straight for the Surge!”
Braxton looked at Halene, “Get ready to fire. We will wait until they line up together… like before.” Halene started charging the laser turrets. “The Gale knows she cannot evade us. She is desperately trying to run for help. Das, get us lined up quickly. We don’t want to travel any further than we are right now. We’re getting too far from the queen. In fact, when we line up with them, stop us.”
Das nodded, “OK, Brax. Another minute or two is all I need.”
Brax went to his command chair and started to gleam. He studied the large holographic monitor and watched three ships. The Dorian Surge, the Sim-Sa Gale, and the Ambulas slowly began to align. Anticipation on board the Ambulas was mounting.
“Sir!” the NAV officer aboard the Dorian Surge, Officer Colian, exclaimed. The Ambulas has halted. She is waiting.”
The COM’s on the Dorian Surge, the Sim-Sa Gale, and the Edsen Tide were all opened. The three captains and the fleet commander were watching and waiting anxiously. The NAV officer on the Dorian Surge was speaking directly to the NAV officer, Jamisen, on the Sim-Sa Gale.
“Get ready, Sim-Sa Gale. We will be perfectly aligned in twenty-eight seconds. Mr. Grainer,” Colian, aboard the Dorian Surge said. “Are you ready?”
Mr. Grainer replied, “More than ever.”
“Hope this works,” Captain Eisen said.
Everyone aboard the three battlecruisers nodded.
Colian said, “I’m counting down from ten. On one, Mr. Grainer, you will adjust port. Copy?”
“Copy. On one.”
“On zero,” Colian looked at his WEAPS officer. “You will fire. Copy?”
“On zero,” he replied.
Colian explained, “The Ambulas is still aligning… twelve seconds to perfect alignment. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2… 1…”
The Sim-Sa Gale abruptly adjusted to port. The Ambulas crew saw it.
“0…”
The Dorian Surge was directly exposed, broadside, to the Ambulas. Broadside because a large docking bay was opened where sat a highly-focused frame mounted laser torch with a PLT condensing chamber attached to the front of it. The laser was already charged to its maximum. It sent a highly focused beam directly into the idle Ambulas. The beam struck the lower part of its bow, causing one of its laser turrets to explode. The Ambulas shuddered.
“What!” Juvas jumped to his feet. “We’ve been hit! Braxton! We’ve been hit.”
“I’m adjusting port!” Das yelled. “Orders, Brax?”
Braxton stood, bewildered by the commotion. Reports came in from the crew below. They were desperately trying to put out fires.
Halene added, “Brax, they took out a forward laser! They have a laser! It’s not very powerful, but they got the luckiest shot in the galaxy!”
“Move us away, Das! We need the queen! Set a course! Isoter!”
Cheers rang out aboard the battlecruisers. Smiles and laughter broke out for the first time in days.
“Commander,” Devin exclaimed. “We’re going to try to adapt this make-shift laser contraption to our forward hull.”
“Great news, Devin!” J’Dar replied.
“Sir, it’s not nearly powerful enough but it does give us a fighting chance. I think we’ll have to land on O'
bipherion for the work to be done. We’ll wait for you to catch up.”
Commander J'Dar addressed the Edsen Tide, “Poleene? You’re not far from Proto Plaxis in the Axeon system. I suggest going there. We will send you the list of components you need to rig something.”
“Yes, Commander,” she answered. “We’ve been off-world for weeks now. We’re ready for some solid ground. We’ll be waiting for that list.”
The Edsen Tide turned to their starboard and headed toward a small planet in the Axeon system. Proto Plaxis was not popular by any means but it would allow the Edsen Tide to manufacture some type of mounted laser.
The Dorian Surge waited on the outskirts of the O'bipherion system for the Sim-Sa Gale. Together, they would land on the planet and install some type of laser weapon. The problem was making one as powerful as the Ambulas’.
The Ambulas made an 180° turn and headed for Isoter. She needed her queen.
…
Boone and Phia sat on top of a mountain watching the ship traffic. Boone was practically holding his breath as another ship, traveling high above them, continued to circle the planet. He was glad to see it leave. Half-an-hour had passed and Phia continued to frustrate him with questions.
Boone kept his eyes on the sky while Phia continued to glance at Boone and the monitor, keeping a close eye on both. Trepidation finally set in as she thought about the danger Boone tried to drill into her head. She began to wonder about the awful encounters he must have faced to cause such precautions he explained to her. Her curiosity piqued.
“Boone,” she softly uttered. “When you were on that table in the holo-lab, you thought you were going to die.”
“Yeah. I did. Why?”
“How many times have you been in situations like that? I mean, you tell me to start suspecting everything and everyone I know. You must have some… I don’t know, some bad stories.”
“I do. I have a lot of them. Not for today. In fact, I don’t ever want to tell you anything.”
Phia glared at him, hurt by the comments. “What? Why? Why would you say that? Boone, I’m just talking so you can start trusting me. I…”
BOONE NOVA AND THEPIRATE QUEEN Page 15
