Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet

by Mackey Chandler

  "Are they still talking to your guys in the Ward Room?" Gordon asked Luke, who showed no desire to leave the ringside seat watching the bridge crew in action and go back to join them. Neither had they dismissed him.

  Luke checked quietly. "Weird, but yes they are. The Badgers are talking to them, doing mundane word by word translation and exploring grammar a bit more. They are demonstrating things physically it would be hard and time consuming to program an avatar to do. Thank you for that," he said aside to Lee. "Two of the Bills have been back on camera, now that the Biters are away."

  "They aren't asking anything about our status with the Biters?"

  "Ha! They're cowardly," Lee insisted. "They aren't going to say anything until they see who wins."

  "I'm curious. On the Sharp Claws you have Captain Frost and the XO is Lord Byron. I've almost never heard a Derf use more than a one word Human name. Is there some common bond that they both seem to admire poets?" Luke asked.

  "A lot of Derf like poetry," Gordon informed him. "I do too, but I favor it in Derf. I may speak English well but it's a horrible kludged up language of bits and parts. You guys have even borrowed Derf words already. So I can't hear English poetry without being jarred out of the moment by thinking how a line has words from three languages all forced into unholy association. That's why their Chief Engineer calls himself Ho`omanawanui."

  "Oh, that's interesting," Luke hesitated, looking like he wanted to ask more, but just made a note to himself on his pad. "That suggests a very orderly thought process to me."

  Gordon looked at him sharply. Searching to see if it was a smart crack, Luke wasn't his favorite person on board and he had reservations about him, but he seemed to mean it.

  "Now we wait," Thor pointed out in the pause. "Did somebody mention sandwiches?"

  Chapter 9

  On the Biters bridge the tactical officer noted the missile launch, then updated it. "It appears to have gone off course a bit and then lost power."

  "No wonder they didn't use a missile on the station folk's drone if they are that shoddy," the Captain said. "They could at least have a self-destruct capacity built into them for when they fail."

  "Yes but what did they use?" the first officer asked. "Something light speed for certain."

  "And short range. You could use a laser like that if it was scaled up sufficiently. It isn't very efficient. They set the distance, which the Badgers should never have allowed, in addition to permitting them an observation drone in the first place. They had no idea if it might carry weapons. Undoubtedly, they set the distance to bring the drone within range of their weapon," the Captain said.

  "That vessel they released is on a jump line for a neighboring star. It makes me wonder what it is. If it's a missile it's quite large and slow, but if it's a manned vessel they can take more acceleration than we can for long periods."

  "Why would it be a missile? What would they be shooting at? It's awfully small for a manned interstellar vessel. I think it's just a big messenger drone," the Captain assured him. "They are sending word back home I'd assume."

  "Then their home, off that direction in that unknown part of the sky, is close enough for an automated drone to reach it, or they've left more ships waiting in that system for word of what they found here."

  Neither was a comforting thought.

  * * *

  "I'm going to get a bite to eat, lay down a bit and be rested when the Biters get in range," Gordon announced.

  "I'll take a break too," Lee said. Nobody really assigned her a set watch.

  "Anybody who wants a short break, if you have somebody to cover who is not on the board as sleeping, feel free to do so," Thor told the bridge crew.

  Lee got another ham and cheese sandwich and layered tomato, lettuce and cucumber slices until it was huge. She tucked mayonnaise and hot mustard between layers and surrounded it with pickles.

  "It's nice having fresh salad stuff. Even if we'd had the equipment when we were with mom and dad it would have taken too much time. When we got really busy and we had other duties there would have been no time to tend it. I understand you really have to monitor it closely every day."

  "Yes, having a bigger crew lets you do more. But here we sit not getting much done at all. I'd have loved to gone up closer and taken a shuttle over to the station, even if we didn't make a docking adaptor to attach a bigger ship," Gordon told her. "Just to play the tourist."

  "And we're not making any money or finding things we can claim sitting here," Lee noted.

  "Yes, a few of the crew have mentioned that. I've had several suggestion in private messages that we aren't a cultural mission. That we should tell them we can spend our time better elsewhere if they aren't seriously interested in trade and take off on a loop away from their stars and back towards home."

  Lee looked very serious thinking about it. "That's a little premature. We haven't gotten to where we can speak with them well enough to know if they will trade with us. Maybe prod Luke a little to introduce more words specific to trading and business. I'm not sure he is focused on that. But in principle, yes, if they don't want to trade, then move on," she agreed.

  "If the Biters don't want them to trade with us they may be too cowed to argue with them."

  "At the station yes, but they indicated their home worlds are secure. We could suggest we do business there. If they aren't afraid to tell us where they are."

  "Let's pull Luke over and run these ideas past him. Luke!" he called out. "Grab a sandwich and whatever, if you haven't, and come talk with us," Gordon ordered.

  * * *

  "Get up Gordon, we're near restarting the intercept on the Biters," Thor called on com.

  "Any changes with them?"

  "Boring straight in. If they are going to decelerate to match us at the same level they will reach the halfway point and do it pretty soon."

  "I didn't think about that. It has to take them couple minutes to flip a ship that size over unless it is a combat emergency. We should have calculated the exact probable moment and set the missile to resume boost while they were flipping."

  "Let me run the numbers, we can't be far off."

  "Tell me when I get to the bridge," Gordon told him. He looked longingly at the shower. He had time for that, but not time to dry. He put on short boots and a belt and headed for the bridge. Lee heard him coming up behind her and waited for him.

  "Luke asked the races on the station why they kept working at the translation when the Biters are coming to board us. And didn't they have anything to say about that, or questions?"

  "Oh really?"

  "They said they wanted to get as much done as possible while we are still here."

  "Does that mean before they kick us out, or before the Biters kill us?"

  "That was exactly my question. But Luke didn't have the nerve to ask them."

  "Did you order him to?"

  "I strongly suggested it. I avoid phrasing things as orders to not step on your toes," Lee said. "I know I'm an owner, but I never asked for any command authority because of my age. Even if we don't contradict each other having orders from more than one boss could get confusing."

  "That fine for tactical things, But if he doesn't have the sense to take a strong suggestion from you for business dealings he may be working in hydroponics tomorrow," Gordon said, getting grouchy. "It isn't a matter of an immediate operational order from you that could conflict with me, you seem to get that. You aren't telling anybody to change course or break orbit, dealing with the natives touches on our purpose of mission which is your concern."

  When they reached the bridge Thor waited for them to secure themselves before speaking.

  "The missile should fire up and maneuver on them two minutes before they flip, if they do it exactly at the halfway point. They will be within twelve light seconds by then, so we won't get much lag on them seeing it. I don't think it's worth altering the programming at the last moment for such a small difference. And the drive will be pointed away from
them. They'll have little time to respond to it."

  "Maybe they won't notice it." Lee said.

  "Maybe, but if my bridge watch missed something that important for over a minute I'd be really upset at their sloppiness," Thor told her.

  "I'm going to find out what Luke has learned," Gordon told them. "Lee suggested Luke find out why the station translators consider it a possibility we may not be around long. They want to get all the data they can until we are gone. Lurk on the channel if you want," he invited.

  "Luke, did the station team tell you why they were concerned our efforts at filling out the translation software might be terminated?"

  "I've asked three different ways and not gotten a clear answer."

  "Are you dancing around the issue instead of speaking plainly?"

  "I'm trying to be somewhat circumspect, yes. I don't wish to insult them."

  "Give me a direct channel with the current software enabled. I'll ask them, Gordon told him.

  Luke looked alarmed, but could be seen reaching down and working his board.

  "You are connected to their main translator. He knows you are our commander."

  A Badger appeared on Gordon's screen. "I see you Commander. How may I serve?"

  "I need know what you expect (go?) (happen?) when Biters here," the program captioned on the screen. Close enough Gordon figured to what he said. "You say our work on translator (will?) end. (Why?) You see ahead (expect?) Biters send us home? Or you see Biters (kill?) us?" Gordon wasn't happy with the uncertainty about kill, so he added. "Destroy us."

  The Badger started the hand wringing thing, looking down reading the question off his screen. There was just enough lag on the transit time it was irritating.

  "Enough (hand wringing?). Just say (answer?) yes (true?) no (false)." Gordon told him.

  "Hand wringing?" The Badger repeated.

  Gordon put his true hands just in camera range and did a fair imitation.

  After the lag the Badger yanked his hands apart and looked at them like traitors. He crossed arms and tucked them in his arm pits, a gesture they hadn't seen.

  "The Biters are, (how?) (uncertain?) you say, fight easy? Get (want?) fight easy?"

  "Tell your guys to work with our crew on aggressive, combative, angry, easily provoked, mad."

  "Huh! Lot words. Something you know well you got many words."

  "Yes. Know well. Know lot (too?) well.

  "You talk to Biters open," he paused. "Everybody hear."

  "Yes, in the clear, we say. No (encryption?). No (code?). Not (private?). (Crap?) tell your guys (to?) work on (those?) words."

  "Yes enough. They not like talk that way. We on station hear. They fight faster you make them look bad. They (unknown?), they (unknown?). They see Lee bite sandwich. They get there with you. You say no. They fight. You much, much same them. More same not like us. Talk bad. They talk bad. You talk bad again," he said hands stabbing at each other. "Go you, go Biters, end fight we think."

  "(So?) (why?) uncertain you think they (win?)?" Gordon asked. Damn software. "Why think fight end, we destroyed, Biters not destroyed?"

  The Badger actually shrugged, a gesture so like both Humans and Derf that Lee laughed out loud.

  "We do (that?) (too?)," Lee told him.

  "Same?" he asked and shrugged again. She thought that's what a Badger must look like when the felt sheepish or amused. "Yes (good?) we same (unknown?) one way."

  "Yes, same," Lee agreed.

  "We know Biters. Not know you. Not know end."

  "(What?) (if?) we (win?)," Thor asked. "(What?) if Biters destroyed?"

  "Coming up on two minutes for missile activation," Brownie reminded them.

  "That (unknown?). Lot (many?), things. More we (can?) know (hold?) now," the Badger said.

  "Yeah, (it's?) (complicated?)," Gordon agreed. Talk later. We fight," he said and cut the Badger com and software off.

  "Thanks for the heads up. This needs our full attention. I wonder if they will abort their burn and vector away from us when they see the missile close on them?"

  * * *

  The Captain was calling out orders to secure for turn-over and a braking burn. The tactical officer interjected a "Sir!" while he was speaking, earning a glare, but no pause in his orders, just a forestalling hand whipped up in a gesture that was quick and unfriendly. "What?" He barked with a loud exasperated click of his beak after the ship started it's rotation.

  "Sir, the missile that went dead has reactivated and turned toward us! It pinged us with its own radar. Estimated time to intercept twelve minutes."

  "Configure our radar for jamming and track it. Prepare a missile to intercept it at a hundredth of a light second. Prepare the close in defense cloud in case it gets past the missile."

  The defense cloud was a huge mass of tiny hard triangles, about four millimeters along each edge, meant to shred an incoming missile that needed to close to within a few kilometers to detonate. Gordon's crew would have recognized them as a giant Claymore mine.

  "Initiating jamming with a peek at ten second intervals. No reaction to jamming. Missile still on course. Uh, radar is acting odd. I believe the missile has jamming capabilities itself. Oh crap, radar breaking up, random lines and dots, radar now down hard."

  "Tactician, launch on time for intercept assuming a straight in course. The same with the close defense. Firing blind is better than sitting waiting for the impact."

  "Yes sir. Launch in three minutes, close defense in four minutes forty seconds."

  They waited in silence. Finally the ship lurched from the interceptor launch.

  >WHAM< The whole hull rang and the lights went out. The drive ceased functioning. At least the emergency lights worked.

  "What in the seventy two tiers of hell was that?" the Captain demanded. "Did we catch something else? The close defense didn't deploy so we got hit early. No way that missile hit us."

  "Whatever it was, it was so bright it overloaded the hull cameras," his tactician warned him.

  "Engineering doesn't answer sir."

  "Work forward until you get an answer from someone."

  After a pause the communications tech announced. "The missile crew amidships reports they have put on their pressure suits and there is nothing behind bulkhead twenty seven."

  "No pressure?"

  "No sir. No ship."

  The Captain said that thing no commander ever wants to say. "We are blind and adrift. Rig self destruct so we can deny them the vessel if we are boarded."

  "I'm sorry sir, the self destruct uses the drive. It was all behind bulkhead twenty nine. All I can do is rig the computer to wipe and melt the core memory."

  "We still have radio while the batteries last," the com tech reminded him. "Is there anyone at the station capable of doing an intercept and tow?"

  "Wouldn't they love that," the Captain hissed. "And the money grubbing bastards would send a bill home that would ruin us. I'm not going to ask them."

  "I don't see how we will ever get this wreck to a shipyard," his number two said. "There is nothing big enough to grapple it and take it through a jump. Perhaps a yard could build this model ship from bulkhead twenty seven back and bring it here. Weld it on and splice all the lines and wires..."

  "Assuming the aliens don't come in closer and finish us off with whatever they used on the station drone," the Captain said. "If they can bring in a drive section and repair it is not our concern, because we won't be crewing it. I imagine they won't hold it against base rank crew not in the command structure. But no bridge crew loses a command and then is told it was unavoidable and given another."

  "I suppose we owe them preserving what we can."

  "If opportunity presents itself to do so honorably," the Captain said begrudgedly.

  * * *

  "Hit! Radar shows a cloud of condensed metal vapor and larger debris," Brownie said. "They have ceased acceleration. No further radar emissions. Ah, looks like they have a slow tumble too. I'm getting a changing radar cr
oss section. Yeah, it peaked and going back down now, tumbling for sure."

  "Do you think we can render assistance?" Gordon asked. "I'd say a tow back to the station is in order. Assuming their environmental systems will last the trip."

  "Not-by-us," Lee protested firmly.

  Gordon looked at her surprised. Usually Lee was more forgiving than he tended to be. It was rare he heard that steel in her voice. What was she thinking? Abandon them to suffocate or freeze? Or even finish them off?

  "If an alien vessel had just blown our drive section off the back of the ship and they came around to board or tow you away, what would you do?"

  "Oh. ..I'd blow the thing to hell to avoid capture and hope they were stupid enough to get close and let me take them with us."

  Lee nodded agreement silently.

  "Perhaps," Brownie volunteered, "we should see if any of the station personnel are able, or disposed at all, to render assistance."

  "Lee, let's go back to the Ward Room. I need a couple sandwiches, they don't keep me satisfied very long," Gordon revealed, "and we can discuss this with Luke's crew."

  The graphic they created with Luke's crew was plain enough, just in case the words were still ambiguous. The animation showed the Biters ship flipping and the missile from the Retribution taking off the extreme rear of the ship. They didn't show it blowing up at a distance and a beam doing the damage. No need to give details away they probably could not see from the station. It showed the entire Small Fleet staying away and a ship from the station slowing the wreck's motion and then pushing it back to the station.

  Their reply showed them taking the survivors off with one ship and pushing the shortened ship back to the station with another.

  That worked too. They might have more information about how long life support would run or the Biter's preferences about being rescued. With no complicated dialog needed they said, "Yes."

  * * *

  "Sir, station command is asking if we want a rescue and recovery operation. They indicate the alien vessel suggested they respond and doesn't want to be involved."