The First Officer leapt out of his seat, moving out of the range of the recorder. Noah watched the shells move across the tactical map. They would all strike the ship's main reactor, a large fusion system that was running near its peak to maintain the ship's mismatched shield system. "Their ship is going to be on emergency power without most of its shielding," Elise said.
"What do you think about that?"
"In terms of the continuation of the human species, killing all of these pirates is a good idea if they're murderers. The First Officer is wanted in this solar system for five killings. Oh, and that's not chrome on his skin, it's a permanent reflective pigmentation shift that deflects small beam weapons."
"I know, I just like calling him that." Noah watched as the destroyer's countermeasures, two shell turrets, managed to hit two of the shells he fired, splintering them into high velocity, deadly shards, then the destroyer was struck. The Corsair's shells put a small hole through the destroyer's hull, penetrating the outer wall of their main reactor. The transmission cut off for a few seconds, and the Corsair was in firing range with the rest of its weapons. He targeted the destroyer's bridge with the Prometheus Beams and set the lock to track so they would maintain their aim while he flew around the ship.
"The fighters are in firing range," Elise said.
"Do they pose a threat?" Noah asked.
"One does, it is carrying electromagnetic pulse missiles. Our countermeasures should be able to take care of them, but he has a group firing mode that can launch nine at a time in a scrambling pattern."
"How'd you learn that?"
"I scanned his ship and analysed the data?" Elise replied as though the answer should be obvious. "I'm not some ninth-generation general artificial intelligence, you know. They're not sure what generation I am, galactically speaking."
"Sorry, I'm just not used to working with someone of your obvious magnificence." Noah said as he piloted the Corsair so he could get behind the fighter trying to get a missile lock on him.
"Was that sarcastic?" she asked.
"Focus," he replied. "How's that destroyer doing?"
"Well, it looked like battery power was about to come online, then there was a burnout at Junction Three, right near the main power distribution centre, so they have to find that before they can get power to weapons, life support or main propulsion."
"The freighter?"
"Their shields are regenerating. There is a breach in the starboard-rear compartment of the hauler, but the crew is not in that section. No casualties."
"So, we got here in time. Is it possible to send a repair drone to their ship to fix that breach?" Noah asked as he lined a fighter up in front of the Corsair.
"Yes, I'll launch one whenever we're on a more stable trajectory. Speaking of which, what are you doing, Noah?"
"Wait, what?" he realized that he was flying the Corsair as if it was a fighter, making sure the other fighters couldn't get a good shot at him, lining his guns up on one opponent while he planned to strike another. His ship had seven hidden turrets and two slots for Uriel fighters that operated as turrets when they were docked. "Holy crap, thanks for reminding me. Open a channel on whatever frequency they're using to talk to each other." He kept one fighter in his sights, following it easily.
"…right behind me! He's gonna hit me with one of those big fricken railgun shells!" the pilot ahead of him was saying.
"Oh, man, you are on your own, buddy. I'm heading back to base," replied one of his wingmen.
"Hey, this is the guy with the big fricken railguns," Noah said. "If you all break off and head home now, I won't unlock my turrets and blow you to dust. I mean, I know I sound like I'm being cocky, but it's a fair warning."
"Yeah, Corsair, we're gone, buddy. This sky's yours," the pilot he was chasing said, turning toward Doxan III and blasting his thrusters. The three fighters with him did the same and Noah let them go.
"This isn't technically a sky, it's open space," Elise said. "Learn science, dumbass."
Noah laughed as he swung the Corsair around so it headed for the destroyer, the few transparent sections were still dark as it listed aimlessly. "Not a bad burn, Elise, close the channel."
"The Shlaki destroyer is launching an armed shuttle at the freighter. There are sixteen people aboard and scans are picking up small arms," Elise said. "I think they plan on boarding the freighter by force, but the turret on the top of the shuttle is pointing at us."
"Activate turret one and lock on to the shuttle's turret."
"It isn't capable of penetrating our shields," she said.
"What do you suggest?" he asked, flying the Corsair close to the destroyer, watching the tactical scanners.
"Maybe we could switch one of the Prometheus Beams to directed electromagnetic interference mode?"
"Sure. Leave Turret One active just in case, but train one of our beams on the shuttle," Noah replied. It was done in seconds. "Corsair to the combat shuttle on it's way to the Freighter Honopu. I see you. Break off or I'll leave you dead in space."
Their turret rattled off its response, sending a barrage of small projectiles in their direction. They disintegrated against the Corsair's shields, costing them less than a percent of their charge.
Noah fired the Prometheus beam for three seconds, hitting the turret first, then drawing a burn line down the hull to the cockpit. The turret stopped turning and the engines went out. "Now you'll suffocate or freeze and die, all squeezed in there like sardines."
Elise laughed. "Canned fish are funny."
"Are you sure you finished calibrating?" Noah asked.
"My creation was carried out perfectly. Do you detect an undesirable element? I mean, I could change a little."
"No, no, I was mostly kidding. Everyone has their own sense of humour," he said. "How's that freighter doing?"
"Well. They're turning towards Doxan Three now, but one of their dorsal thruster pods was damaged, so it's slow."
"What about that destroyer?" he asked.
"There is activity in their launch bay and they have another shuttle. It could be a rescue for the first one or they are going to try to board the freighter again. The majority of the crew are working on the electrical systems, though. None of them are anywhere near Junction Three."
"So, in other words, they're still figuring out the problem and don't have backup power."
"Correct."
"Call the freighter."
"Channel open," Elise said.
"This is Captain Lucas aboard the Corsair. Everyone okay over there?" Noah asked.
"We're good now, Captain," an older woman said as she came on screen. There was a young boy on her shoulders, grinning at him. "Thank you so much for fighting those pirates off."
"It's the least I could do. I used to run with a travelling show, so I know what it's like to get kicked around because people think you're on your own. I have a couple repair drones aboard. I could get them to attach a line to a hard point, get you into the patrolled zone around whatever planet you're on your way to and fix that hole you've got in your side."
"We're grateful for the save, but I'm afraid of what you'll charge us for that on its own. We probably can't afford more services," a younger man answered, turning the holorecorder in his direction.
Noah was stunned. He'd met a couple mercenaries who would save rich looking ships then demand payment before, but he never thought he'd be mistaken for one. "I think she expects us to demand money. How much should she pay?" Elise asked.
"Nothing," he replied.
"Pardon, Captain?" asked the young man.
"Oh, I was just telling my co-pilot that I don't charge for saves. I just couldn't watch pirates take you out. The tow and patch-up are free too."
"We can fix our own ship," he replied.
"Then how about a tow to wherever you're going? I'm new here, Captain…"
The holorecorder turned back to the older woman, who was handing the little boy off to someone else. "Captain Hewett. We'll take
the help. I have to ask why you're offering, though."
Noah launched the drones. Loaded with modified skitters, they pulled heavy lines from the Corsair to hard points on the front of the Honopu where they were attached and moved on to repair the rupture in its hull. "I have the tech, and I have a little time to blow before my friends get here," he shrugged.
"And a good deed is its own reward," Elise added cheerily.
"That too." He moved the Corsair into position and gently increased thrust, sending an update to the local Navnet so they could mark them as a rescue effort with a warning to other ships that they weren't particularly manoeuvrable. It asked him for their final destination.
"Well, thank you, I wish there were more people like you in the galaxy."
"There's a bunch. Anyway, what port are you headed to?"
"Angel's Landing Starbase. We were told our cargo would sell well there," she replied.
He looked at the scan data and saw that they were carrying raw nutrient solution and medicine. "That's expensive cargo. Are they always short on the essentials here?"
"From what we were told, yes. The local Stellarnet is telling us we'll get between fifteen and nineteen times what they were worth on Ficelles."
"Well, good luck, we're building some momentum up now and the repairs are almost finished, so maybe I'll see you station-side. I think I'll see what it's like there."
"Oh, you didn't have a destination here?" she asked, surprised.
"No, just meeting some friends who said we'd meet in system. Good luck to you and your crew."
"Thank you again," the angle on their holorecorder widened to reveal a young boy and a girl sharing a woman's lap beside the older Captain. They waved, saying; "Bye, thank you!"
The transmission ended. "Well, I'm sure I'll hear from those pirates if I stick around. Did we ever get the name of that destroyer?"
"No, but I'll start looking for more information using the data we have. By the way, that freighter had four generations of the same family aboard. You saved a lot of people just now."
"We did, actually," he said, ordering the cables to detach. The drones finished printing the patch on the Honopu and were on their way back.
"Do you do that a lot?" she asked.
"Not as much as I'd like. Maybe that'll change if we spend some time here. Do you like saving people? It can get dangerous, you know."
"I think I do. I'd like to do that more often," Elise replied.
Forty
Slander
* * *
Tammy Dermen had never been more terrified in her life. Two days into her work assignment, taking care of children on the bottom floor of the Everin Building, she found herself surrounded by Order of Eden soldiers in full armour. They put restraints on her then covered her mouth with a patch. It was a sight that terrified the young children in the cramped play room. Their cries were silenced as the door closed behind her and the soldiers.
It was lucky that she wasn't the only one taking care of the kids that day, but that wasn't much consolation as the soldiers rushed her down the corridor, into a transit car then to a shuttle. Standing out from the cliff side like a dark crystal shard, one of the newer buildings in Haven Shore had been taken as the main Order garrison. It was a target for the resistance, but Frost couldn't figure out exactly how they'd do enough damage to make a difference yet. They called it The Shard, a terrible name, she thought.
Fear gripped her even more firmly as she realized the shuttle was headed directly there, to the top landing pad. How did they find out who she was? Samantha and Frost showed her how to avoid the DNA sniffers, it wasn't hard, and she wore her second skin face even more than she ought to. A few pimples were nothing compared to getting taken into custody. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what she did wrong, how they could identify and catch her. Frost, Samantha and Nigel did the risky things, they hadn't let her do anything yet. Her jobs - helping with the garden in Founder Square and caring for children while their parents were away - kept her out of the way. She'd overheard some soldiers and Order technicians talking, passed the information on to Frost and Samantha, but that couldn't be why she was in trouble.
Looking around the shuttle, she saw that all three of the guards with her had the safeties on their weapons activated. The glow-haze around the edge of one of their visors meant that one was watching a video stream. The other two weren't looking at her. The hatch leading to the cockpit was open. There was a locked cupboard under the seat across from her. It probably had emergency materials inside, including something that could be used as a weapon. Her restraints were Regent Galactic bracelets with an energy binder between them. If she could get close to any other kind of energy emitter that would be easy to overload. It wouldn't burn her much, she'd still be able to use her hands. "Eyes down!" one of the soldiers barked.
Turning her eyes to the floor, she realized he was the most vulnerable one. There was fear in his voice, it sounded like aggression, but that was a cover. He was big, surprise would only get her so far with him, but he was her best target if an opportunity to escape came up. A thought occurred to her then; my fear is gone. How did that happen?
The answer to her question came on the heels of that thought. Frost told her everything he knew about her model. She wasn't unique, but designed, a manufactured human. The intention of the designers was to create a charming, beautiful woman who would be underestimated. Her model was supposed to have the hidden capabilities of a deadly assassin, but the extent of Tammy's training was a year of self-defence classes when she was a young girl. How could the potential to be an assassin help her if she was never taught to utilize it?
The shuttle touched down, a final whine of the thrusters was familiar, and she realized that the ship used a xetima fuel source. It was highly explosive. That made the shuttle a bad escape vehicle. Rough hands picked her up by the elbows and forced her off the ship. They were close to the edge, waves crashed against rocks hundreds of metres below.
The doors leading into the building ahead parted and she recognized Wheeler, the man who rescued her so he could play some kind of head game with the leadership in the Haven System. "Duchess! It's so good to see you! Let's get you inside so we can take that hideous mask off. I missed you."
Her response was muffled by the patch over her mouth, and she followed her instincts, turning, ducking low and bashing into the guard on her left. He collided with the guard rail. Tammy lifted his leg, throwing him over the side.
The fearful one hesitated, in shock, and she pulled his sidearm out of its holster and tripped him, folding is knee from behind with her ankle. "Guards! We need help out here!" she heard Wheeler call.
The soldier who was behind her raised her rifle but Tammy fired three times, catching her in the chest twice and disabling the rifle with the third shot. It was a sparking mess. The guard she tripped, the fearful one, grabbed at her ankle. Tammy turned the intensity of her stolen sidearm up and fired at him. The fiery bolt put a hole through his helmet and he was still.
That female guard was still a problem. Tammy shot her again before she could get her sidearm out and she watched her go down, realizing that this conflict was anything but emotional. Tammy felt nothing.
A rush of guards was coming, and Tammy started backing towards the shuttle. It took off in a shot, leaving her on an empty landing platform. The first stun pulse set her nerves on fire, and she was on the ground so fast that she didn't remember falling.
The new batch of soldiers had her up on her knees in another room. The patch over her mouth was gone. "I passed out," Tammy said to herself.
"Oh, she's awake," Wheeler said. "Yes, you passed out." His helmet muffled everything he said, but his face was clearly visible through a large faceplate. "Three stun blasts will do that."
"Where am I?" She caught her reflection in a glossy pillar half way across the room. They'd taken her second skin disguise off. It had been a while since she'd seen her own face, it seemed too young somehow.
"My personal command centre," Wheeler said. There were two other officers around. One was a Captain, his brow was furrowed, worry creased. The other was a Rear Admiral and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else as he watched the holographic status map of the Haven System in the middle of the room. "Tell me, Tammy, what's the morale like on the ground? What do the people think of their new situation?"
"They hate it. They hate you. You're right to live in armour," she replied.
"After all the opportunities I've given them? Almost everyone is employed, there's enough food, shelter and care to go around."
"You've made everything a debt trap and we all know it'll lead to us serving the Order as blaster fodder or worse. We know we're labour, that all the pay we get is going back into the system. It's just another form of slavery."
"Is that what everyone thinks?" Wheeler asked.
Tammy made eye contact with the Captain, who was trying not to seem interested in the conversation. "It's what people believe, but most of them blame you more than they blame the Order. They know you have history with the founders here."
"Yes, they like to kick me around, blame me for all their hardships. They put a bounty on me through the British Alliance, when I was just playing my part, a working man for Regent Galactic. It was the only way to get my life back after I ended up in stasis for years. All they had to do was own up to their crimes like honest people, but they painted me as the bad guy." Wheeler shook his head. "I'm just stumbling through life in this screwed up galaxy like everyone else. That's how I got here, working for the most powerful force in human history, the Order of Eden. They saw my value and gave me a top spot. Now they resent me for taking that power and trying to make this little piece of the galaxy better, I'm sure. I mean, I'm just here to help while they can't take care of this solar system. As soon as people here realize that I have their best interest in mind, they'll turn around."
"I've never heard anyone stitch together more bullshit in one breath…" Tammy didn't get to finish. Wheeler kicked her in the stomach hard enough to send her onto her back.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 13 Page 31