by Chris Hechtl
Thelma stifled a yawn as she stretched. “What'd I miss?” she asked.
“Miss Sawyer catch her up to speed. Comm, retransmit our IFF. Use one of the captured ones from the Horathian fleet. Tell them … tell them we're new here,” the Naga captain ordered.
“Aye aye, ma’am,” Trisha replied.
“Helm, pour on the speed. I want us to rendezvous with them and give them the package we've been excited about giving them good and proper,” the captain ordered.
“Aye aye, ma’am.”
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
The more they talked, the more suspicious of something going wrong came into Captain Gutt's mind. Why didn't they wait and just meet in port? Everyone was under parlay in port. In space, it was every pirate for him or herself. That was a part of the code. But his curiosity was up; he wanted to know what was going on and why someone would have the balls to contact him. If they had a stupid excuse, he intended to have their balls for breakfast soon he vowed.
“They say they are from the Homeworld cap'n, sir,” Lieutenant Gupta said.
“And ye be checkin' on that Mister Gupta?” the captain demanded.
“Checking war book now. It fits, sir,” the comm otter said, bobbing a nod.
“Aye then, we slow and stay the course. But have our shields and weapons hot in case this parlay is nothing but a ruse,” the captain growled.
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Belfast's CIC got their first good look at the other ship when Black Corsage dropped her stealth. “Ma'am, it's a heavy cruiser,” CIC warned. “Baltimore class.”
“She might be old, but we're clearly out gunned,” Aengus warned.
“You think? Pulling specs up on the Baltimore class now,” Thelma said from her station. After a moment of study, she grimaced. “Aengus is right, ma'am; she's got more tubes than we do and more energy weapons. Her shields are more powerful. We might be biting off more than we can chew,” she warned.
“I'll be the judge of that,” the captain growled. “Besides, it's just a mangy pirate!” she said.
“Still, ma'am, giving the differences in firepower, I don't recommend getting in too close. A long-range engagement is recommended until we know more about their capabilities,” the TACO stated flatly.
“She's the Black Corsage, ma'am,” Trisha reported. “A Captain Gutt commanding.”
“It gets better and better,” Thelma murmured.
“Stall them, Comm. Tell them a bit about Horath. Aengus, see if you can get some viruses in on those transmissions. Set them to erupt if they get feisty,” the captain ordered.
“Aye aye, ma’am,” the A.I. and human female acknowledged.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
When they had generated enough of a turnover to be certain of a rendezvous, the captain ordered his crew to stations. “CIC, chief Grimoragan, any more on our visitor?”
“They passed in the light of the sun a moment ago. We're going over … Captain, you should see this,” the rating said in a suddenly different tone of voice.
“Oh?”
“Putting it up on our screen,” the rating said. The captain scowled and peered at the image. It was pixilated, but then the computer compensated and it smoothed out into a clearer image. The image moved frame by frame until they got enough of a side view to see the hull markings on her bow. “UFSN … bloody hell, she be a fed ship!” the captain snarled.
“It looks that way, sir,” Chief Grimoragan replied as the bridge crew looked up sharply in surprise and then turned expectantly to their captain.
“Ar, battle stations!” the captain snarled.-
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“Their shields are up … ma'am they are clearing for action. We're being hit by active lidar and radar now,” the CIC rating warned.
“Time to change flags then,” the Naga captain said firmly. “Comm, order them to heave to and prepare to be boarded. Battle stations!”
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“This is the United Federation Naval Warship Belfast to the Horathian pirate Black Corsage. Heave to and prepare to be boarded. You are ordered to safe your drive, weapons, and lower your shields or you will be fired upon. There will be no warning shot. You will be destroyed if you do not comply within the next two minutes,” a stern warning cut through the bridge.
“Ar, be you now?” the captain growled, looking up to the ceiling and then to his assembled crew. He reached out and stabbed a long finger to the transmit button. “We'll see about that. We be sendin' ye to Davy Jone's locker in hell,” he said. That earned a growl of agreement from the others.
The captain stood up in a crouch in front of his chair. “What say ye, maties? Tis time to do battle?” he drawled.
“Aye! Aye!” the officers and enlisted cheered.
The captain drew his cutlass and brandished it. “Helm, boot our ass for a minute so we can see ‘em proper. Tactical, give 'em hell and a broadside! Open fire!” the captain snarled, thrusting his sword out as if into an opponent.
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“Tango 1 has kicked over to expose her starboard broadside. Incoming broadside, twenty missiles,” the JTO warned as she worked the defensive station.
“Returning fire,” Thelma replied. The Naga opened her mouth and mandibles, then checked herself. As TACO, the female had the job to fight the ship.
“Decoys deployed. ECM up, we're scanning the missiles now,” Loise stated.
“Second set of twenty missiles inbound. We are also picking up a lot of metallic debris coming in. It looks like rail gun fire,” CIC warned.
“Helm, adjust course two degrees Nadir by four degrees port. Hold that heading and course, then adjust to random courses on their base course. Let's keep them guessing and their rail guns missing,” the captain ordered.
“Aye aye, ma’am,” the helm rating replied.
“They aren't being shy about the missiles and rail gun rounds,” Thelma reported. “That's not typical pirate behavior, ma'am.”
“They've got more ammunition than we do, a lot more,” Loise said darkly.
“Continue the engagement,” the captain ordered.
“Counter missiles away. Point defense up and ready,” Loise reported.
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“First broadside destroyed. They were waiting for us,” Raz, the Satyre tactical officer reported. “We got four through to their point defense. That ship's got good defenses.”
“Pull up what we have on the ship's class. It has to have a weakness. Every ship does. Find it,” he growled.
“Aye aye, sir,” the tactical officer replied dutifully.
“Virus detected in our network,” Lieutenant Gupta, the black otter said. “It's tearing things up,” he said.
“Shut down the primary comm computers and bring up the backups,” the captain ordered. “Then bring the primary back up and purge her,” he ordered.
“Aye aye, sir,” the otter said.
“And yes, you did a good job air walling the system. Don't rub it in,” the captain growled.
“I wouldn't think of it, sir,” the otter simpered as he did as instructed.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
“Viruses ineffective,” Aengus warned.
“You're sure?” the captain asked.
“They would have gone off the moment the ship went to battle stations. I believe they air gapped their computers,” the A.I. stated.
“Damn. Well, I guess we do this the hard way then,” Thelma said as she focused on her job.
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“They be maneuvering to keep our fire off them,” Lieutenant Silas warned.
“Helm, zig-zag as well. Pick up speed,” the captain ordered.
“We're not going to turn and engage?” Mister Squint demanded.
The captain turned a glower on his diminutive XO. “I be the one who chooses when to fight,” he growled.
“Aye aye, sir,” the XO said, dropping his eyes instantly.
“I'm spraying a wider field. W
e need to shift. Ah, yes, thank you, Mister Flynn,” Raz said, firing from the starboard broadside as the ship finished its roll. The first shots were missiles, followed by rail gun fire. But the rounds after the first set were rock salt, which wouldn't show up well on radar and lidar she knew.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
Not good, not good, Thelma thought over and over. No light cruiser in its right mind tangled with a heavy cruiser, even if one was running away from it. Not if they could help it. A heavy cruiser was built to go toe to toe in battle with its own kind or smaller ships. An LC could do so in a very limited engagement. They were geared more for long-range deployments or scouting missions.
“We can handle one mangy pirate!” Captain S'th growled. “Tactical, what's the problem?” she demanded.
“We're at extreme range and firing up their wake, Captain. The overtake doesn't leave our birds much time on their clocks to engage effectively,” Thelma warned. “Meanwhile, they are firing down our throat so the speed advantage is to them for the moment.”
“For the moment,” the captain echoed.
“For the moment. Eventually, they'll need to slow down,” the TACO stated.
“Then we'll finally get them,” the captain said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Thelma said. Or vice versa she thought. She was fairly certain that the skipper was a tad overeager and overconfident. She'd warned her once about the engagement, and so had Aengus, or so she'd heard. It was on record she knew.
“Incoming fire!” CIC reported. “We've got warshot behind it,” the rating warned.
“That's the last of the missiles, but it was a bit close,” Loise stated as their point defense lasers cut down the last missile less than a hundred kilometers away from their shields. She had just looked up when the shields started to take hits.
“Bow shields under heavy load!” Aengus warned. “We're being peppered by rocks!”
“They must have used the drives and explosions of the missiles as a cover,” Loise said, cursing.
The shot continued to hammer at their shields, dropping them fast. “Helm, ten degrees by five degrees nadir! Engineering, do something about our shields!” the captain barked.
“Aye, Captain,” Chief V'x'n stated from the overhead.
“Returning fire with all bow tubes,” the tactical officer said. The captain opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. The tactical officer had the right to defend the ship when they were engaged. Instead, she nodded.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
Captain Gutt realized Black Corsage had the advantage in munitions and firepower, but he couldn't use them effectively. The enemy's ship was fiendishly good and up-to-date. It was best that they kept to the long-range engagement he thought, even if it meant overrunning the jump point.
“Helm, break off. Get us clear of this,” the captain finally ordered when the enemy spat return fire. His defenses were barely keeping up with the incoming fire. Three times missiles had exploded on his shields. It was only a matter of time before one got through.
“Aye, sir,” Mister Flynn said, sounding disappointed.
The captain surveyed his bridge crew. He saw the looks. “The better part of valor, mates. We earn no plunder from this battle,” Captain Gutt said.
“Aye, sir, remember the code. Fight to run away,” Lieutenant Squint said.
“Aye, thar' be that too,” Captain Gutt said with a relieved nod at the support from the wee elf.
“We need to inform the Admiral. Either we've got competition or something is seriously wrong here,” the orangutan said grimly.
“Firing a stacked broadside,” Raz stated. “Let's see how you like this,” she hissed as she hit the engagement key with a flourish.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
“Fifth broadside incoming. Time thirty seconds to engagement range. Too close for counter missiles,” Loise warned. The enemy ship was kicking its stern back and forth on its course to expose a broadside so it could fire in a random pattern.
“Engage with point defense phasers,” the captain ordered.
“Enemy ship is breaking off. She's picked up speed and is on a tangent course,” CIC reported.
“Adjust heading to match. Let's dog their heels until we get a better piece of her,” the captain replied.
As the smaller ship adjusted her heading, she turned into the missiles. The missiles suddenly went to sprint mode, cutting their engagement window in half. Point defense phasers spat invisible fire at them but had been caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed. Then two of the missiles exploded, momentarily blinding the ship.
“It's not one broadside it's two! The second used the first as a cover!” Loise yelped; frantically working her station as ratings also did their best to defend the ship.
Ten of the missiles were cut down by the point defense phasers but then the first of the surviving eight hit their maximum engagement window and detonated. They were dirty nuclear weapons that savaged Belfast's still recovering shields. They faltered and dropped, collapsing inward. As they did so, the ports in them closed cutting off the phaser fire.
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When he saw the explosions in their rear, the captain grinned savagely. “Helm, pick up speed and random course change. Go to silent running!” Captain Gutt growled. “Let's see if there are any bones left to pick over,” he growled.
He knew he was indeed fighting to run away. Every moment the enemy was on a different course meant he was generating lateral vector away from them. Given enough time he'd get his ship out of their active sensor range as well. After that he could decide to come back in on his own terms or quit and run for home.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
The dirty weapons blinded Belfast's sensors again as well as those on the incoming Horathian missiles. But the missiles knew what was going to happen and had maneuvered. When the explosions went off, that triggered a file to activate. They maneuvered again in a quick dance to shift their locations, then went in to their final acquisition mode.
Some of the missiles had lost lock in those last critical moments. By the time the roiling plasma had dissipated, a few realized they were too far off course and detonated. Three missiles however bore in. One exploded a kilometer off the ship's starboard bow. The first missile battered down the remaining shields; the second tore the energy shields apart with a hurricane of force. The third was a dud or had been destroyed by fratricide. The plasma clouds also tore and burned away anything on the hull, scouring it clean as well as a good chunk of her armor.
Inside, the ship seemed to suddenly hit a hard wall. Personnel were thrown from their stations. Equipment broke loose and flew about with disastrous results to the crew and other equipment near them. Fuel and water lines ruptured all over the ship.
In a brief moment, Captain S'th's plan for glory vaporized as did a dozen of her crew.
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
Black Corsage hadn't gotten away completely clean however. Two more missiles had cut their way through all her defenses could offer to explode on her stern, damaging her sublight drive slightly and making the Neoorangutan captain angry but very much aware of the threat he faced.
“Tough little ship,” Captain Gutt said grudgingly, looking at what Mister Silas's sensors reported. Had the third missile gone off it would have destroyed the ship. Pity about that he thought.
“Aye, sir. Do we go back in and finish her?” Raz asked.
The captain stared at the plot for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head. The engagement had already cost him a lot, and there was no profit in seeing it through to the end. “Let them go,” the captain said. He couldn't afford to be crippled. If the enemy ship was crippled, he could come back and finish her off.
“Helm, bring us on course for the Virgin's Holes jump point.”
]][#]]]{OO}===}==>
Belfast did its best to make repairs and dig her injured crew out. Damage control parties worked feverishly to bring the shields and bow sensors back online.
&n
bsp; Fortunately, after the first hour they realized they had the time. Captain S'th had kept them on a course to follow the enemy ship but with no real hope of engaging her before she jumped. But she wanted the other captain to think she was still willing to engage.
Another benefit of the enemy ship's departure was that CIC managed to get a good look at the jump zone and candidate stars that the enemy ship was likely headed to. Not that they had any intention of following them for the moment.
A day after the enemy ship jumped Captain S'th stood the ship down from battle stations. That allowed the crew to get some downtime and the engineers time to shut down and take equipment off-line to assess additional damage.
The good news was that Lieutenant V'x'n was confident they could rig the minimum shield coverage to get the ship into hyperspace. They were limited on what repairs the ship could make out of her small stock of parts, but according to the Veraxin chief engineer they could still jump, just into the low bands of hyperspace. “Guess we're taking the slow way home,” Captain S'th said wryly after listening to the Veraxin's latest report. She knew the engagement and damage to her ship and crew were entirely her fault. She also knew she was going to get her tail wrung by the review board when it sat on the engagement. But that was a problem for another time she knew.
“Yes, ma’am. The good news is, we know which direction they went and we've got an eye on them. I wish we'd had a recon drone in that area, but we're confirming there is a jump point there,” Thelma the tactical officer said. “CIC narrowed it down to two candidate stars based on their entrance vector,” she reported.
“If they are going to a star,” First Lieutenant Carolyn Parker, the Neogorilla XO said gruffly.
“There has to be a star. On that course, there is no way they can double back and come back around to hit us again,” Lieutenant Nobe, the navigator said. She shook her head. “We know where to look now.”
“He said make port in Virgin's Holes. I'm wondering, were they headed directly there or somewhere along the way to there?” Captain S'th said.