The Asking Price of Stars

by John Baeyertz

  Kat fell back into sleep. Ten minutes later there was a ripping sound as the locked cabin door was torn open. Tracey and Nirabella stepped in. Tracey carried a six-foot pry bar and Nirabella carried a full med kit. Tracey looked down at Kat. "Time to get sober, handsome. You’ve got two hours to be in the control room."

  Nira got out a medipack and administered any meds that would help. Kat did not respond. Nirabella applied a medipack and gave him three shots. Nirabella told Tracey, "The medipacks aren't designed to sober someone up. However, I think it will figure out the problem and do everything it can. The med shots should help."

  "Thanks, Nirabella,” Tracey said. “He is the finest officer I have ever known. All the gods of Far Star know I love him and can't tell him. He is the Commander, I am First Officer; on a League ship, you don't mix those two in a personal relationship. No one on the ship knows I have feelings for him."

  "Tracey everyone on the ship knows you have feelings for each other. It could not be more obvious. It is also obvious that you never act on them. Except, well maybe, that time on Blue Port.”

  Minutes later Kat opened his eyes and asked, "What you say?" Tracey replied, "I said get your ass into the shower and turn it up hot. Don't you dare take off that medipack. Shadow will be here with hot Gubble brew before you get out. Nirabella and I will stay to make sure you get to the Control Room. I dumped out the yellow spice including the hidden bottle. In one hour and fifty minutes you will walk into the Control Room sober."

  In two hours and seven minutes Kat walked into the Control Room ahead of Tracey's demanded schedule of two and a quarter hour. "Ms. Stone, you have control. All other officers and sergeants join me in the ward room," Kat confidently ordered.

  Anna Morgan had hot coffee and Gubble brew waiting as they filed into the Ward Room.

  Kat opened the meeting, "I had a drink, which for me means I got drunk. Many of you know I am an alcoholic. I could not live with what I did. I turned Bridgeford down. We don't care about Ax or Green Fleet, but the faces of the children that we endured so much to save, haunted me. In turn, the faces of all the children of the League of Free Stars haunted me. If the Trocnavar Empire and their pirates win, hundreds of thousands of children could end up dead or living as bound labors. Your efforts saved thirty-nine. What would you have us do about thousands?"

  There was no cheering, silence filled the ward room.

  Finally, Peter said, "I better go lay in a new course."

  They walked out of the ward room to tell the crew.

  Chapter Fifty-

  Death's Hammer &Outcast Lady in Space- 03-19-519

  A few light-years away another meeting began. "If this information is correct, you two may not live out your lives as blind laborers in a Uiikaien slime mine." Niikia and Artystaar stood before Count-Viceroy Markiii Commander of the Strike Fleet. Senior Trocnavar officers, pirate commanders including Garman Rayyan Warlord of Pirate Fleets and a Tri Star Army General filled his office. They were aboard the Count's command ship, an Imperial battle cruiser renamed Death's Hammer and thinly disguised as a pirate ship. The fleet orbited three light hours out from the target. It was an impressive fleet.

  The Count continued, "So you believe this Kat has sold or plans to sell my son to Bridgeford. You also think Bridgeford will obtain our plan of attack. Finally, you think this Kat will join Green Fleet. I have known from the night my son was taken, Bridgeford could gain our attack plans. Let him come and bring his little fleet." Standing behind the Count, Lord Clovis of Rarkiikar Clovis was silent.

  Warlord Rayyan spoke "This scum Kat and his bitch Watkins killed my son in barehanded combat. They are light years tougher than you imagine. I relish their deaths. However, we must never forget the Empire’s target.”

  Count-Viceroy Markiii stepped forward "Well said, ladies and gentlemen but we must not lose sight of the goal. We are here to take and hold Pangerbar, not to kill Kat and destroy his ship. With Pangerbar we control shipping along the Green Line. The Empire and our allies can strangle The League of Free Stars. As we conquer Pangerbar we may save my son, if not, so be it. The Emperor ordered the conquest of Pangerbar.”

  **********

  Light years away the Outcast Lady raced toward its new destination. An hour after the meeting in the Ward Room, the hanger bay was cleared for a meeting of the crew. Kat outlined the plan and spend two hours going over it. Kat, open the meeting for questions. Mark Bittman asked, "Sir with the deepest possible respect, what in all the hells are we doing? You are going to take Outcast Lady into battle to save Pangerbar, are you crazy Sir?"

  Kat replied "I know it is damn hard to fight for a planet that kept many of you in abject poverty. But we fight for the League not Pangerbar. Because Pangerbar is an important trading center on the Green Line, the Trocs chose to seize it. Pangerbar is a pinch point in the flow of trade. It is also a perfect base to launch an invasion of Green Four. Once Green Four falls the backdoor to the League will be open. Do you want the death for so many?"

  Centari Shamir said, "No, we don’t want those deaths. I hate Pangerbar as much as anyone. But, I have family on Sander's Planet near this edge of the League's star cluster. Sander's would be one of first planets to fall.”

  Anna Morgan called out, "I vote we fight! My mother, her companion, family members and friends live on the Pangerbar space station. I say fight."

  Kat took over, "The truth is Green Fleet, even with the contract warships, is weak. The Troc Strike Fleet with the pirates and Tri Star ships is twice the size. Our escort could turn the battle. The course I ordered Peter to set will bring us out of the wave in the Pangerbar system. We will exit the wave in Battle Alert. I could have no better crew. I believe each will do their duty. Thank you," Kat concluded.

  At the back of the hanger bay someone called out, "Victory Honor Ship." It was Cici.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Pangerbar System Dark Song & Outcast Lady 03-30-519

  Dark Song cruised in high orbit above Pangerbar. Artystaar watched as the invasion fleet dropped toward the doomed planet. Lord Clovis's spies reported the government was unaware of the invasion plans. It was widely known Pangergar's military force was almost nonexistent. The merchants of Pangerbar did not spend money unless it returned a profit. The Count chose not to use an opening bombardment. Ten troop ships from the Tri Star Republic led the assault. 10,000 shock troops using both lifters and combat gliders dropped on Pangerbar City. A second force of five hundred troops attacked the space station.

  Protecting the troop ships, the Strike Force warships dropped into orbit eight light seconds out from the planet. The fleet formed a cloud formation. Artystaar scanned the fleet with the ship's sensors. There were two battle cruisers, three heavy cruisers, and three light cruisers including the new imperial cruiser brought out by the Count's son, eight destroyers, two supply ships and finally ten fast escorts including their own ship Dark Song. It was an imposing fleet. Dark Song's assignment was one of four ships protecting Death's Hammer. The only action so far was annihilation of two ancient destroyers as they powered out from the space station.

  Artystaar watched the sensors go wild. Ships dropped out of the wave less than a light hour out. Their orbit around Pangerbar would be in the direction of the Strike Fleet. Flares of dark matter engines blazed as the incoming fleet decelerated. After two plus days of deceleration the League fleet would pass through the Trocnavar fleet. The first round of this battle would be quick and deadly. The fleets closing speed added the ship's velocity to the missile's velocity. The kinetic energy of a missile hit would be huge. Artystaar signaled battle preparations. She then requested Niikia join her in the Control Room. The sensor data showed Green Fleet to be half size of Strike Fleet. By the gods, I love this! May we meet Mr. Kat and company, Artystaar thought.

  *********

  Outcast Lady dropped out of the wave well behind Green Fleet. With a double jump wave ride Peter had brought them off the wave in the planet's orbital direction and light hours out
. Kat addressed the crew, "Peter dropped us out of the wave at just over three percent of light speed. That is still 10K plus clicks per second. We are flipping and decelerating to drop into orbit and catch Bridgeford and company. The Green Fleet is decelerating into orbit well ahead of us. We will orbit around the sun at max deceleration then drop into orbit around Pangerbar behind Bridgeford.”

  Tracey scanned the sensor information. “Kat does this look like the Spearing the Oiifen maneuver? Is Bridgeford going try it?" Oiifen were a large round fruit so light it floated in the wind. Troc children used Oiifens for targets during spear games. At officer training school, they only spent a few hours covering the Spearing the Oiifen explaining that it was a high-risk attack formation and never to be used. So much for never, Tracey thought. With an enemy ship in a Oiifen shaped cloud formation, the attacker formed a single line and speared the cloud. Two heavy well-armed ships were placed one behind the other at the point of the spear. The lead ship was not expected to survive.

  Spider, who was handling communication, called out, "Tight beam message coming in from Bridgeford." She flashed the message to all screens:

  Commander Jang. It's about time. We are using the Spear with a twist. We don't have two heavy warships, so we will drive Bighorn Bull, our armed supply ship in front. Chung volunteered to command her and Montgomery volunteered as XO. A handful of volunteers will crew her. Undoubtedly the Bull will be destroyed.

  You are following our fleet; I ask Outcast Lady to pick up any of the Bull’s survivors. Your contact point should be about half way through the Troc cloud. Kat I am asking, not ordering. It's a damn dangerous assignment.

  Kat said, "Spider, tell Ax we accept. Then send a message to Montgomery. He should not expect a formal tea when we pick them up."

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  - Pangerbar System Outcast Lady & Bighorn Bull - 04-01-519

  A day later the Lady completed its deceleration and locked in orbit behind Green Fleet. Kat told Tracey, "Trace, set a course following the fleet into the cloud. For the brave women and men out there, may the gods of Far Star protect us all."

  "Fidelity, full power."

  “Done,” Fidelity responded

  "Cici, power up all weapons. Light and Shadow are your missile racks ready?"

  Light responded, "Yes sixteen are ready. Peter is clear to drop."

  "Ok, Peter are you ready?"

  "Do c-cats kill motans?"

  "Cici, the rail guns ready?"

  "Ready, Commander".

  "Spider is com ready?"

  "Always."

  "Nira, medical deck ready?"

  "Ready for casualties."

  Kat continued over the ship’s com, "Go to Standby Alert. We close on the enemy in an hour. I have accepted a difficult assignment. Green Fleet is attacking using the Spear of Oiifen. We cannot reach the fleet in time to join the spear. Ax is using supply ship Bull as a battering ram at the spear tip. The Bull will be destroyed or heavy damaged. It's crewed by brave volunteers, some of which we know. Fighting our way into the Troc cloud, Outcast Lady will match speed with the remains of the Bull. Then we launch both lifters to rescue survivors. Not an easy task. I expect the Troc fleet will have plenty of fire power left. We will rescue everyone we find and kill Troc ships when possible."

  "For the Children!" Kat called over the com system.

  *********

  Aboard the Bull Gunson Montgomery was too busy creating a storm of missiles and space junk to be terrified. Working in space suits, he and the volunteer crew were pushing missiles out the hanger bay and into space. The Bull carried spare missiles for fleet. They pushed out the thirty fourth missile and fired it via a makeshift cable. Accuracy was impossible, none of the controls of a warship drop existed on the Bull. However, thirty plus missiles would keep the Trocs busy and give Ax's spear a chance to penetrate deep within the Troc Fleet. If a missile was destroyed, it transformed into a mass of high speed space junk flying into the back of the enemy formation.

  Gunson thought; let’s get number thirty-five out the door. How many missiles and cables do we have? Just keep at it and don't let me feel fear. Within minutes we will take enemy fire and be forced to close the hanger bay. The two forward rail guns will be firing, and then joined by the aft guns as we near the cloud.

  *********

  Kat called, "Full battle alert!” Tracey tracked the two fleets via sensors. The fleets almost touched less than two hundred kicks separated them. Chung and Montgomery were putting up one hell of a fight. Somehow, they fired missile after missile without any launch system. The Lady Delapasse, behind the Bull, fired missiles and rail guns. The Sea Goddess and Lady Montoya light cruisers were next, then the Republican Lady. After that there was a contract light cruiser, Winged Shield. Ax's four destroyers and four fast escorts along with one contract destroyer and three contract escorts were arranged in the gaps in the line of big ships. This both protected them and protected the heavy line.

  The spear of ships plunged into the Troc cloud. A Troc light cruiser shifted orbit to attack the Bull. The closing speed was fantastic. One of the swarm of missiles launched by the Bull hit the aft section of the cruiser. The Troc ship was enveloped by the explosion. As the two ships passed each other the Bull's rail gun shells rained into the Troc ship. Tracey watched as the cruiser veered off course. Then two targeted missiles from the Lady Delapasse hit the damaged cruiser and she began to breakup, her weapons silent.

  Kat called out, "Nice shooting Ax! ... Peter, Cici, if you get a clean kill shot, fire on targets of opportunity. “An hour and half later they plunged into the cloud. A sea of damaged ships and space junk surrounded them.

  Peter exclaimed, "Drop two missiles. Have lock. Drop Now!" In the missile bay the drop crew watched as two missiles dropped clean. The Lady closed on a pirate destroyer. Peter spun the missiles ninety degrees launching broadside. Light and Shadow yelled, "Drop clean, engines fired." Two missiles accelerated away locking in on the destroyer. Tracey tracked the two missiles as they closed in. Antimissile fire disintegrated one. The second missile struck one of the destroyer's time wave drive pods. Tracey called out, "Major damage but no kill," then she realized everyone in the control room could see the sensor data. It was over in seconds. They raced further into the cloud.

  The sensors showed the Bull ahead of them taking heavy damage and falling behind Green fleet. One of the Troc battle cruisers launched a fan of missiles into the Bull. Three slammed into the big ship blasting sections of her away. Peter launched two missiles at the battle cruiser. A pirate escort swept in and destroyed both missiles. The battle cruiser and her escorts were gone into the cloud as the Lady swept past them.

  Tracey locked sensors on the Bull and set an intercept course. The Bull appeared dead, no weapons fired and no signals. As she did for the glider, Spider began calling out distance. "Ninety-seven clicks out. Debris directly ahead; relative speed of the junk low." Tracey maneuvered the Lady around it. Spider called out, "Seventy-six". Kat said, "Switch to visuals." The armored shield over the control room was closed but massive vid screens filled the inside of the cover. "Fifty-six." Small bits of debris hit the front of the Lady as Spider called out, "Thirty-seven". Tracey slowed further to match speed with the remains of the Bull. As Tracey slowed the ship, Spider called out, "Nineteen" then "Zero".

  **********

  The Lady floated half a click off the wreck of the Bull. Kat scanned the hull. She is League built sphere, must be over three hundred meters in diameter. Debris everywhere. The great hanger doors are blown open. Her armored hull is pierce by multiple missile and rail gun hits. The Control Deck is gone. The time wave drive surface has a hole blown in it the size of a big lifter. Can anyone be alive?

  "Peter, you have the control deck. Fidelity, you have engineering. Czajka, you have the rail guns. Erica, you have our TWD. Spider and I will take the mini-lifter back to engineering and ensure the dark matter flasks are intact. If the dark matter is stable, we will search for survivors
in the aft section. Tracey, you Cici and Nirabella will take the big lifter and check the main section. Light and Shadow shoot transfer lines across and standby with a transfer tube. Once we see how determine the number of survivors and if the ship is stable, we may bring the Lady in close enough to deploy the tube. Tracey also take Bittman for another set of hands."

  As she flew into the Bull's main hold Tracy realized the gravity generators were out. They would do this operation in zero G. She dropped the lifter to deck, although it did not matter there was no up or down.

  "Ok we start our search on this deck. Look for anyone alive in a space suit, then check for airtight compartments. Mark the dead with a red X. Mark anyone alive with a blue X. Mark any airtight compartments with a blue X.”