- Pangerbar Orbit - Outcast Lady &Dark Song 04-03-519
Artystaar set a vector toward the orbit of Outcast Lady. The Song was coming apart under them. The missiles ripped open the hull armor. Rail gun fire from the Lady cut holes through the ship. The issue was control not power. Many of the control jets were out. Niikia ordered max power. The plasma engines drove them toward the other ship. Their erratic course moved them closer to the Lady.
Artystaar cried, "She is coming apart under us!" The Song broke into wreckage fragments. The Control Room crew, Niikia and Artystaar watched the sensor displays go dark. The armored Control Room drifted onward with them as unwilling passengers. Niikia cursed until she could no longer speak.
*********
Aboard the Lady a cheer when up as they raced past the debris field that had once been the Dark Song.
Tracey’s mind was already racing to the next fight, the pirate heavy cruiser Death Kiss. She must be destroyed. Unless she was smashed, Ax's battle cruiser Lady Delapasse would fight two heavy warships.
The destroyer Fire Dancer and the fast escort Summer Storm had already engaged the Death Kiss.
Over the com, Tracey outlined the plan, "While she is fighting our two ships, we are going in as close to the Kiss as possible. We will launch our last two missiles right up her ass.”
And they almost did just that!
Half an hour later the Lady closed on the Death Kiss. The Fire Dancer's Commander, sent via tight beamed, "We just blew off the right-side turret. Only the open mount is left. We’re out of missiles. Summer Storm was destroyed. Launch anything you have."
Tracey told Spider, “Close on the damaged turret mount.” The Lady raced toward the damaged ship. As they closed Peter launched the last two missiles. The missiles drove into the open turret mount. It was not quite up the ass, but close enough. The heavy cruiser Kiss came apart at mid ships. The Lady Delapasse would only fight the Troc battle cruiser Death’s Hammer. It would be a sure victory for Ax and Green Fleet.
Minutes later in moment of calm, Tracey thought, we have our victory but all should know that the asking price of this star is dreadfully high.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Lady Delapasse at Pangerbar Station04-24-519
Two weeks after the battle, the Outcast Lady was docked alongside the Lady Delapasse at the Pangerbar space station. The Station had been repaired enough to allow ships to dock. At first watch Ax sent over a skeleton crew to man the ship so the whole of Lady’s crew could be present onboard the battle cruiser. They were welcomed at the transfer tube by Major Sasha Kedrova in full dress uniform. She was now acting XO for Ax.
“The general has setup a bit of a ceremony for you.” As they walked toward the hanger bay, Kedrova asked, “What are those dots on your shoulders?”
Kat smiled and said, “Best you never have to find out.”
Kat and Tracey led the crew into the hanger bay. ‘A bit’ of a ceremony was an understatement. All available crew members from the Lady Delapasse, in new utilities with boots and buttons polished, were lined up on both sides of the aisle in the center of the hanger bay. Kat was damn sure they would have been in formal dress uniforms if the fleet had not been recovering from the battle. At the far end of the bay awaited General Bridgeford, Auntie Tara and the senior officers of Lady Delapasse. The ship's band played "Gods Give Us Freedom" as Kat and the company walked down the aisle. A wave of shock and a buzz of sound ran through the assembly. Each of the Outcast Lady's crew had chosen to dress in full pirate regalia. No one aboard the Lady Delapasse expected this.
Kat lead them down the aisle dressed in the outfit he wore on the raid on Nameless, with two exceptions. He wore a black leather vest open to the waist which showed both the red kill dot on his right arm and scars on his chest. Scarves and marking on the right side of his head were yellow and black. The crew voted to make these their colors based on their use at the field ball tournament on Blue Port. The great antique sword was on slung on Jang’s back.
Tracey walked beside Kat in her cut down utilities. She had replaced the utility top lost on the raid with a sleeveless one showing her red and a black kill dots. A rocket pistol was strapped to her right leg.
Peter and Fidelity were behind them in the brightly colored utilities that they wore on the raid. They also wore the yellow and black scarves and markings. Both were armed; Peter with a hand axe and Fidelity with her compact pistol.
Cici and Nirabella, with yellow and black markings, followed. They were armed and in colorful utilities from the raid. Cici's had replaced her lost top with a new bright yellow one. Strapped to Cici's right leg was a large rocket pistol. Nirabella carried a compact pistol on her belt.
Spider, Centari and Mark were next. The two young crew members wore their rocket pistols and their utilities with holes and wear. Yellow and black marked them. Everyone expected Spider to return to type and wear a dress uniform. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The side of Spider's head was marked with a big splash of yellow and black. Yellow and black scarves wrapped her upper right arm. She wore her brightly colored camouflaged utility top and pants. The pants were cut down to shorts. High black boots completed her outfit. A machete hung across her back. Her dress was far, very far, from Space Force regulations.
The next two in the procession was Light and Shadow. They wore their colored raid utilities with Shadow's black kill dot showing. Light wore the black tank top she had worn during the raid. Both wore rocket pistols strapped to their leg. The other members of the crew followed, each in some form of black and yellow and armed to the teeth.
Tracey heard someone in the ranks yell, "It's them; the outcasts Ax sent to the hells. They saved Green Fleet at Pangerbar. It’s Mister Jang and Lieutenant Watkins!"
Then from the other side of the aisle there was the cry of, “Light and Shadow, by the gods welcome back!”
An old fleet officer yelled, "It's Kill Dots! They have Kill Dots. By the gods, I never thought I would see a Kill Dot!"
As the cheering started, Cici heard, "Who the hells is the beauty in black boots?" Cici thought Spider has come a long way. The band finished "Gods Give Us Freedom" and stuck up a jauntier piece called "Dance in The Stars Young Heroes". The sound of cheering rose as they walked forward to where General Bridgeford, Major Tara Freeborn, Gunson Montgomery in a medical walking frame and the rest of the senior staff awaited them. Tracey noted Gunson was now a Major.
As Kat and company approached, Ax raised his arms asking for quiet. The sound dropped to a muted roar. Ax stepped forward and in an extraordinary act, saluted them. None of the crew returned his salute.
Bridgeford began, "I should have expected that. You have no reason to return my salute. However, I have every reason to salute you. Your actions saved Green Fleet and the League’s hold on the Green Line. You may have just saved the League of Free Stars. The information in the data pack and from the prisoner you brought was invaluable. No one else could have followed the trail through the pirate held fringe to find Major Freeborn. Next, your actions ensured our victory at the battle for Pangerbar; both at the rescue at the Bighorn Bull and the final battle. Your action in destroying Trocnavar ships was a key part of our victory.”
“You have the deepest thanks from me and all of Green Fleet. I have publicly apologized for the Free Space Force's actions. Once more I offer to restore your commissions and ranks and see the public is informed of your service to the League of Free Stars. Each of you will be able to select your new assignments.”
Kat responded “Damn it! No! We did what was necessary to save Auntie Tara and to protect friends and family at home. We expect only three things from the League. First, ensure our wounded received the best Fleet medical care. Second, help the children that we brought back find safe and loving homes. Finally, we expect to be paid in full for both our contracts with you. Beyond that, we want nothing." Shock ran through the hanger deck; none could believe what Kat said.
Ax responded, "We of the F
ree Space Force and all of League of Free Stars owe the officers and crew of the Outcast Lady so incredibly much. You shall have those things. However, after the ceremonies and dinner, I request another private meeting." It turned out to be a very interesting meeting.
*********
Tracey watched as the stewards brought in cups of hot Gubble brew along with shots of aged Blue Spiced Liquor. Dinner was over and the officers of Outcast Lady, Auntie Tara, Gunson Montgomery and the General were gathered in Bridgeford’s private ward room.
Auntie Tara began, “A toast to Colonel Chahill. The bravest damn man I ever met. Most of you may have guessed the man you knew as Sergeant Baryic was much more than that. He was an intelligence officer working undercover to find Trocnavar agents within Green Fleet. When Spider chose to call a Board of Inquire for trumped up reasons, he saw an opportunity to gather information deep within the pirate community.”
“Think back, was it not Baryic who suggested you buy a warship and go contracting? And even with Peter’s resources how could you get a loan commitment for sixty million Stars? Did you really think it was luck that the Free Space Force just started to install a new navigation and new weapons computers before they decided to sell her? There are many more unique events if you review the last months.”
Auntie Tara continued, “Before he died Baryic he told me you where the finest crew he had ever known. If he had to die, it was an honor to lose his life with you. The last words whispered to me were ‘Victory, Honor, Ship’.”
Bridgeford said, “His name will be carved in special place on the high stone walls at the Space Force Officer School.”
All raised their cups, “To Baryic the Brave”
Epilogue –
Planet Assurance - The Tavern - 10-13-519
At the very edge of known space, Assurance was the farthest and latest planet to be colonized on the Green Line. The town was located on a ridge of hills overlooking a wide valley of rich farm land. As on most newly colonized worlds, the town of Our Haven was not much. Twenty-nine tiny homes, half dozen barns and workshops, a store, and the tavern comprised the town. All of it built out of colonial glider parts, packing materials and local wood. The town and the lifter port were situated on the ridge. The Valley below flooded each spring bringing precious new soil but making it impossible to build permanent structures. The farmers built camps down on their plots below and lived there during the short summer.
Just after noon local time, Tracey, Kat, Peter, Nirabella, Cici, Light and Shadow sat at a long table on the tavern porch. They were guests of Bob and Deborah the colony leaders. The Lady had delivered a critical shipment of new seeds and plants cuttings to the farmers there. After the failure of the first summer’s crops, Pangerbar Trading, the merchant bankers of the colony, found a new agronomist. No colonist would pay to settle on a planet without crops. The merchant bankers rushed aid to protect their investment. To get the new seeds and plants before the planting season was over, The Lady brought agronomist out at triple rates.
The tavern owner Big B. had set out cold beer, dill pickles and boiled potatoes. Only potatoes and cucumbers thrived from the first crops. Kat asked for tea. Big B. and his wife were making sandwiches of local roast meat of an unknown source. He claimed it tasted just like Vraciek. His wife spooned a deep blue sauce over the open face sandwiches. The sauce smelled wonderful.
It was six months ago that the Green Fleet won the Battle of Pangerbar. It was a great victory for the Free Space Force. They all were gratified to have been a key part of the victory. But sadness also marked the victory. Many crew members had not survived. Anna Morgan and others were lost. Anna was never found. Kat and the other wounded had recovered and most rejoined the crew.
While they awaited the sandwiches, Tracey noted an old man sitting at the far back of the tavern. Big B. said, "He is an old man who ended up here somehow too busted up to work much. Ms. B. keeps him from starving.”
Purple Cat lay curled up on Tracey's lap. As Tracey rose from her seat, the c-cat jumped down and sauntered with her. Tracey walked back to the old man. By the gods, he is very old she thought. He was slowly eating a single potato and sipping a cup of tea. "Would you like to join us? We have beer and meat sandwiches. We would be pleased if you could join us," Tracey said.
He looked up at her and then rising to his feet said in a clear voice, "Thank you Ms., but I cannot afford the cost of beer or meat. I don't take charity for more than my needs."
Nirabella joined Tracey. She touched the old man and said, "Our First Officer has asked you join us; it is no charity. The honor is ours."
The old man picked up his cane and walked slowly to the long table. Tracey noted, in spite of his physical issues, he carried himself as a spacer. He sat down between Tracey and Light, took a sip beer and dug into his meat sandwich. When he finished, Kat asked, "Please tell us who you are."
"My name is Eric Van Eyke,” the old man said. “I came here on a cargo supply ship. The captain needed less crew for the return and thought I was too old. So, he dumped me. In my time, I shipped with most of the adventurers to run beyond the known Green Line. Some were traders, some pirates, others merely curious.”
Tracey asked, "Are you saying you have been further out on the Green Line than here?"
"Yes," he firmly replied.
Big B. said, "Eric spins some wild stories. I would be careful about believing any of the old man’s stories. Eric may not be all together."
The old man pulled his chair back from the table and stated, "My body may be weak but my mind is clear and what I am about to tell you true is to the last word."
For the next two hours, the old man told his story. He spoke of far planets controlled by races other than Trocs or humans; of creatures, so strange they wore spacesuits while in good air; of rich cities with great spaceports and a myriad of goods for trade and of noble lords who ruled planets. Pirate fleets and warlords who killed and were destroyed. Planets existed that were rich in agriculture and planets which were all ocean. Planets flourished where wonderful things were manufactured.
Finally, he told an astonishing tale:
I shipped out years ago with a commander called Morgan on his ship the Running Star. She was an ancient imperial destroyer converted to an armed merchant. The commander was a secret trader. He traded far out on the Green Line hundreds of light years beyond where the Free Space Force had control or even any knowledge. The risks were exceedingly high, but the shares were ten times normal.
We reached the planet Aalvake. It was so distant they almost never saw a human or a Troc. The planet itself was mostly desert with less than a third covered by seas. The local people looked very much like us and Trocs, but soft down fur covered their heads and backs. The great city of Aalvake is the center of trade. It is on a green island in one of few seas.
There was a small space station to control traffic. But, all trading was done on the surface. We brought our goods down by lifter. Many of the ships landed directly on spaceport field. A few landed in the harbor. That is right, on the water!
I found one of the few humans on Aalvake running a tavern near the harbor. His name was Braunfels. One night it was just Braunfels, me the ladies, and too much local wine.
He began, ‘Son you think you are far out of the Green Line; you have only just started. The line goes out through ten thousand stars. A trader traveled here years ago and told us far, very far out other humans live. They know nothing of us. But the kingdoms and empires ruled by these people fill a section of the Galaxy. Their language is nothing like Standard Common Com, or any of the Troc languages. Their ships always land on water. And even more astonishing is that they have ships which sail through space without time wave drive.’"
*********
Twenty-four hours later in the Command Center, Kat said, "If you please, Tracey take the Lady out of orbit."
Tracey said, "Final Checks".
“Second Officer Spider reporting, all ships systems are stable and fully func
tional.”
"Medical Officer Nirabella reporting, crew is berthed and ready for acceleration."
“Weapons Officer Cici reporting, all weapons at Battle Standby.”
"Engineering Officer Fidelity reporting, the Plasma Drive powered up and ready. Dark Matter Engines ready at standby.”
“Chief Time Wave Navigator Peter reporting Time Wave Drive ready at standby, Mr. Van Eyke’s course is laid in." Peter smiled and winked at Eric.
Over the com system they heard as Light and Shadow yelled, “Victory, Honor, Ship!"
Tracey piloted the Outcast Lady outward toward unknown space.
The End
About the Author
John Baeyertz is an Engineer who came to writing via a long and strange path. He grew up in Southern California surrounded by a bright and curious family. When John was seven his father papered the wall of his bedroom with National Geo maps. Next his favorite aunt bought John a membership in a Sci-Fi book club. The gifts lead to a lifelong love of travel and Sci-Fi.
The Asking Price of Stars Page 22