Star Bridge (Space Rogue Book 4)

by Jay Toney

  We crossed the void slowly. The image on our viewscreen grew from scattered dots to recognizable ships. There were ships of all kinds, from freighters and scout ships to larger mining craft and a cruise liner. None of them looked damaged in any way. No response came from any of the ships as we neared. It was like they were just parked here and abandoned.

  If these ships were truly abandoned, this would be a salvage dream. I had my eyes on two of the ships already; the cruise liner, and an agriculture transport. I had Sultan bring us to within 1000 meters of the cruise liner. The ship was huge. It was easily twice the size of the Vengeance. I called Mike to have him come back in for a meeting. I also called Red and Nugget. When all of my officers, Red, and Nugget were present, I started my meeting. "I don't know why these ships were parked here and abandoned, but I plan on taking full advantage of it. I intend on claiming two of the vessels as salvage; the cruise liner, and the agriculture ship. For the time being, I will need to pull resources from every ship to man them. I have one class six pilot that can man the cruiser and a couple of engineers. I'll need a couple of communications officers and another helmsman to pilot the agriculture ship."

  "Some of the Keshian crew members Nugget provided me have the skills necessary to fill in the vacancies needed. Why do you want the ships?" Red asked.

  "We will be picking up recruits and passengers from the systems we visit and need the space to house them. We will also need officers to ensure that the ships and their cargo are not abused. If they prove to be to much trouble we can always sell them. I thought we would have more ships and a larger fleet. I guess it makes sense to build a fleet if we are going to find the Star Bridge and return to Earth.

  Mike, take a team and search the freighters for cargo and spare parts we can use. Red take a team and explore the agriculture ship. Make sure it's functional. I'll do the same on the cruise liner." All of us formed up our teams to assess our assigned vessels. I got four Keshians from Reds crew to compliment my team. The rest of my team consisted of Sultan my helmsman, Randolph, and Kim as engineers.

  We took a shuttle over to the cruise liner, the Carpacia. I thought entering the ship might be a challenge, but its shuttle bay doors responded to our signal opening for us. The shuttle bay was full of transport shuttles, cargo shuttles, and life boats, none of which were used by the Carpacia's passengers or crew I landed my shuttle gently on the shuttle bay floor and shut down its engines. The bay doors sensing our engine shutdown closed and the shuttle bay pressurized.

  It took a few minutes to adjust to the ships higher pressure. As soon as my shuttle's pressure equalized with the outside air pressure, I opened the rear hatch. As I expected, there was no one to greet us. We exited the shuttle splitting into two teams. Randolph and Kim headed to engineering and the rest of us headed to the bridge.

  The transport tubes were still functioning, which eased our travel, making it quicker. Sultan, the Keshians, and I boarded a car in the transport tube. I selected the stop, nearest the bridge and we took our seats. The car door closed and it rose slightly on its track. The car rose slightly on its repulsor field then shot forward gaining velocity, as it sped along the transport tube. It didn't slow down as it shot past the empty boarding stations along the way. Finally, it slowed, depositing us at the requested boarding station.

  We exited the car and walked a short distance to the bridge's entrance. Its entry hatch stood wide open. My communicator buzzed for my attention, "Captain, Kim and I are running diagnostic checks on the ship. So far, everything appears to be within normal parameters. I've registered us as the new owners and bridge officers for the ship. You shouldn't have any problems with the ships AI."

  "Thank you, Randolph, proceed with diagnostic checks and keep me informed. I plan on taking this ship with us."

  "Do you plan on moving onto this ship?"

  "Yes, soon."

  The bridge was very modern. Its viewscreen took up a large section of wall towering above its officers. The captain's chair, ergonomically designed, fit me like a glove. I could definitely see myself on this bridge.

  "Carpacia, access the captain's log and play back the last entry."

  "Captains log Stardate 242, 3737: The Carpacia is due to exit hyperspace in one hour. We will be entering the Magellan System. The system was named after the ancient Earth explorer, who was first to circumnavigate the Earth. The passengers are in for a treat. The Magellan system is a system of 9 planets. Most of its outer planets are ringed, making for some spectacular viewing as we navigate around these planets before heading out of the system to our next jump point. Captain's log ends."

  According to the last entry's stardate, the ship was abandoned twenty years ago. I was hoping to find some reason as to why the Carpacia and the other ships were abandoned. Maybe Mike or Red would have better luck.

  We exited the bridge and headed back to the transport station. The tube car was still there waiting for passengers to board it, or a passenger call from another station. We boarded the car and a selected the main gallery for our next stop. The car doors sealed, and we were off again. The ride was much shorter this trip. The transport car stopped at a station only a few minutes down its track.

  We exited into a huge foyer. Stores peddling everything that a tourist may want surrounded a park in the center of the room. Trees and flowers were still being carefully manicured by the ship's droids. Park benches were scattered throughout the park, offering a view of its many gardens. It was too bad that Amber and Jewel weren't here to see this.

  The various shops stood open eagerly waiting for customers. I entered one of the jewelry shops and selected two gold necklaces as gifts for my wives. AII of the goods in the stores would have to be inventoried, as well as the cabins. Most of the inventory would be traded, but some of it would be kept. The booty would make a nice bonus for our crew. The shops could later be reconfigured into quarters for my crew or passengers. If everything went as planned we would be traveling to Antares in luxury.

  My communicator buzzed for attention again, "Captain, I need everyone to return to the Persephone now! We have company coming," Jewel's voice blared from my comm unit.

  "Randolph, I need you and Kim to head to the shuttle now. We will meet you there."

  The six of us boarded the transport car and sped to the shuttle bay. We met Randolph and Kim at the shuttle and quickly boarded. We took off and I signaled the ship to pump out the air and open the doors. After clearing the shuttle bay doors, I signaled the ship to close the doors behind us. I turned my ship to the Persephone and quickly closed the distance. We landed in the dorsal shuttle bay. Mike and Red landed just ahead of me. After the shuttle bay was sealed and pressurized, we all headed to the bridge.

  Amber had the tactical screen up showing three targets at the edge of our scan range. Jewel confirmed that she was receiving some sort of communications, "What I am receiving sounds a lot like birds singing." She put the singing on audio so we all could hear it." Amber reported, "I am not receiving any transponder signal and the ships do not match anything in our database."

  "Jewel, signal the fleet to move in amongst the derelict ships. Have everyone go dark, passive sensors and line of sight communications only."

  We hid our ships amongst the other ships that were parked here. All external lights were turned off and transponders silenced. All sensor sweeps were switched to passive. We waited quietly. The bird-like singing changed to voices, "Amara, Callidora, it looks like we have visitors."

  "Kalliope, perhaps they are still hiding amongst our trinkets," Callidora said in a sing-song voice."

  "It has been awhile since we last feasted, let us sing them to us," Amara begged her eldest sister.

  "We shall play their game for awhile, then we shall sing," Kalliope said to her sisters.


  "Humans we know you can hear us, come on out. It will be easier on you if we don't have to hunt or sing," Kalliope's voice sang in a trilling bird-like voice. "... very well, we shall play your game for awhile. I do so enjoy the hunt. When I tire of your game we shall all sing."

  "Nathaniel, do you have any idea what they are talking about?" Red queried.

  "I have a suspicion. They may be Sirens. Doc told me tales of them when I was a child. I've never seen one or heard of anyone who has seen one and lived to tell about the encounter. I thought they were just a myth that Doc told me to scare me when I was much younger. Doc, is there any way to defeat them or avoid them?"

  "I do not know. What I told you came from legends, from long ago. I thought they were just myths."

  "Persephone, do you have any information?" Persephone's hologram appeared on the bridge. "The only thing I know about them is that their singing will lure anyone who hears them, to them. Like their voices, the Sirens are creatures of beauty, human in form, with bird-like wings. They were considered to be Persephone's companions and protectors. After her abduction by Hades, Demeter cursed them. The Siren's song was a beautiful, yet sad melody, eternally calling for Persephone's return. The legends also mention that they are known to devour the flesh of those who wreck upon their rocks."

  "They were your protectors?"

  "Of course not, they were talking about another Persephone who existed in ancient Earth legends."

  "Still we may be able to use that... ."

  Time stopped. Astrea appeared on the bridge. Everyone was frozen except Jewel, Amber, Persephone and me. With the exception of the four of us, time stood still.

  "By the gods, is that really you Persephone?"

  "l am Persephone, but not the Persephone you are thinking about."

  "It must be you. You look and sound like the Persephone I knew in ages past. How else would you be able to see me if it weren't you."

  "I do not know, I came into being about a year ago. I have no memory beyond that."

  "Astrea, why is it that only the four of us can see you?"

  "Long ago my people served humanity in its early form, guiding and teaching your ancestors. In those days it was common to be seen amongst all of you. There were many wicked men amongst your kind. After turning on us, using the knowledge we gave your ancestors, we fled but still watched your civilization develop. We hoped that one day humans would evolve and mature enough to be amongst us, helping other civilizations develop. You, Natty, Amber, and Jewel can see me because you pray to me. I am only allowed to appear and aid those who have faith in me. Persephone is one of us. She disappeared long ago and hasn't been seen in ages. I don't know how or why she manifested in her current form, but it is her."

  "It was Nathaniel who gave me my name and this form to take."

  "Nathaniel, it seems that there is more to you than I thought. I shall haven to study you more closely. Soon the Sirens will tire of the hunt and start singing. You must block out their singing, else they will lure all those that hear them to their death. Also, you must not engage them in battle. They are faster and far more deadly than any of you."

  "We can't run, we need some of the ships that were abandoned here to build our fleet."

  "Perhaps Persephone and I can persuade them to let all of you go. There is a chance that we can break their curse and scare them off. When the time is right, we will lure them aboard this starship and persuade them to flee." Astrea vanished and time resumed.

  "Jewel, signal the fleet. All hands are to wear fighter helmets, or noise canceling headsets. If there aren't enough to go around, the crew are to lock themselves in their quarters. We will broadcast and loop Persephone's singing performance. They are to listen to it at high volume, to drown out the Sirens singing. Jane start replicating extra headsets for everyone, get Doc, Randolph, and Kim to help, and start passing them out. Amber and Mike, gather our flight helmets and bring them back we need to hurry to keep our advantage."

  When they returned we all put on our helmets. The helmets were designed to cancel any outside noise. They had a built in comm set with a voice-activated microphone, so we could still communicate. The microphone was directional and would pick up little or no outside noise. They should keep us safe from the Siren's singing. It took about an hour to get everyone into a headset or helmet. Beverly and her twins were the only passengers without a headset.

  Beverly opted not to wear one, and the twins were to small. Instead, she locked herself in her suite and watched and listened to Persephone's performance. The fleet signaled that they were ready, and I started Astrea's plan.

  "Sultan move us out, as soon as we are clear of the ships, set course to the siren ships, flank speed."

  "Persephone, light us up, and broadcast our transponder signal."

  ****

  "Sisters, there you see, we do have visitors amongst our trinkets, and one ship has come out to play.

  ****

  The Sirens and their sleek little ships, no bigger than our Marauders, closed the distance fast. They began circling the Persephone. Astrea was right. Their ships were much faster than ours and more maneuverable. Sending out our fighters would have been suicide. They could have easily taken out our Vipers and Marauders.

  "Jewel open a hailing frequency."

  "Communication channels are open Captain."

  "Ladies, you are invited to be our guests aboard the Persephone."

  "That name, is it some kind of joke?"

  "I assure you it is not. The Persephone is my ship."

  "Persephone is dead, we killed her ourselves. My sisters and I shall board your ship and do the same to all aboard. Demeter has cursed us to sing for her return for all eternity. We will make sure she is dead, and end our curse. There will be no bringing her back."

  Amber, Jewel and I raced to the port side shuttle bay, where our guests were landing. I hoped that Astrea's plan would take care of the Sirens.

  The Sirens started singing their song. Their singing had no effect on us. The flight helmets canceled enough of their singing that it didn't have didn't have any effect on us.

  "Humans, I don't know how you have defeated our singing, not that it matters. We will see you all dead anyhow."

  "These people are under my protection cousins. You will leave them alone." Astrea appeared, determined to defend us.

  "Do not interfere, cousin, we are three, and can easily defeat you."

  "I am not alone." In a flash of lightning accompanied by the sound of thunder, Persephone joined Astrea.

  "Cousins, we meet again. Did you think I was so easily defeated?"

  "We saw your dead body and destroyed what remained of you. You are dead, daughter of Zeus and Demeter."

  "And where would I go, to Hades? You forget that I am his wife and queen of the dead. He is very angry with the three of you." He shall have his revenge.

  The Sirens started their song again, but Persephone sang louder:

  "Off my private island, his vessel lay,

  it was the tenth month, the thirteenth day.

  The wind blew heavy the sea ran high,

  alas, young Captain Roberts was doomed to die.

  As brave and gallant a lad was he.

  He sailed upon the stormy sea.

  But now he sleeps beneath the spray,

  until resurrected, another day."

  "That voice, it can only be Persephone. The curse is broken, she lives again. We must flee before Hades finds us." The Sirens ran to their ships and took off, fleeing us and this system.

  "Persephone, my cousin, I am right, only the real Persephone could sing l
ike that."

  "This is only the second time I have sung. I can't be the Persephone you are talking about."

  "I don't know how, or why you have been resurrected in this form. I will find an answer someday. In the meantime, I will do what I can to aid you and your friends."

  I still determined to salvage the agriculture ship and the Carpacia. After sounding the all clear, I sent Sultan, Randolph, Kim, and the four Keshians that made up our team earlier to the cruise liner. Red sent his team to the agriculture ship, along with the Dr. Marcus and his research team. The freighter was loaded with metal ore from this system. There wasn't anything else worth salvaging. We didn't have enough trained crew to man it, so it would have to be left behind, along with the remaining ships.

  The derelict ships were brought here undamaged, somehow. We would have to find a way out of here. Our fleet, now two ships larger headed in the direction the Sirens fled. After a few hours, we came to a narrow passage. We followed the passage and came out in clear, open space. I set our course for the Garion System. I would have liked to jumped further but was limited to a 12 light year range. This was the maximum distance safe our newly acquired ships could travel in hyperspace.

  Slavers

  We came out of hyperspace in the Garion system. This time we were not alone. Our ships were spotted and targeted long before we slowed down enough to start running our long range scans. The other fleet, occupying the system, targeted us and changed course to intercept our fleet. If it wasn't for our need to stay with our newly acquired ships, we would easily be able to outrun the other fleet. The need to protect the two new ships, and stay with them until they reached their hyperspace jump points, prevented us from escaping into hyperspace and put us at risk.

  Amber put the approaching fleet on our tactical display, as soon as they appeared on our scans. So far, the ships were ignoring Jewels attempts to hail them. Their transponders were silenced, and they remained unidentified.