Pursuit: Rise Of Mankind Book 5

by John Walker

  “How’re our shields now?” Gray asked.

  “Recharging, sir,” Olly replied. “I’d love to get a look at that weapon. I don’t think it’s intact though.”

  “Ya think?” Redding muttered.

  “Start the scans for the Tempered Steel,” Gray said. “Clea and the tech team will assist. Remember, we’re in a hostile environment. That’s bad enough without being shot at so keep yourselves frosty and let’s get out of here without injury or damage.”

  ***

  Clea worked closely with Olly, Paul and the keilan tech crew to start a sensor web looking for the old wreckage. They collected massive amounts of data and each of them began processing it as quickly as possible. Over an hour later, they still hadn’t found what they were looking for and only analyzed half of their information.

  They did, however, catalog a number of items worth investigating later. Much had been stripped though and Clea started worrying about what they’d find at the Tempered Steel. It may not be there at all, stripped of all but the frame itself. She tried to prepare herself for that eventuality but couldn’t quite shake the despair.

  Another half hour later, Paul shouted out to them. “I found it!”

  Olly and Clea joined him while the others continued to work. There’d been enough false positives that not everyone got excited from a find. The three of them peered over the screen and Clea really scrutinized his findings. The mass and density were correct so it may at least have been one of the vessels they lost.

  If it’s not the Steel, it’s going to be close to it. We haven’t lost that many ships out here.

  The hulk didn’t radiate any power, it was certainly dead. That meant they could not remotely claim any data from whatever storage banks might be left. They’d have to physically visit the wreckage and take things the old fashioned way. Luckily, the tech team brought cutting torches capable of removing bulk heads.

  “I’ll tell the captain,” Clea said. “Keep analyzing the data until we’re ready to do something about this.”

  Clea left, rushing to the elevator and hurrying along the hall to the bridge. She stormed in, causing Leonard to jump. “Welcome back,” Adam grumbled. “You’re excited.”

  “We found alliance wreckage,” Clea replied, breathing heavily from her run. “There’s no power out there so we’ll have to go there.”

  “The Behemoth can’t make that trip,” Gray said. “We’d probably make it even more hazardous, pushing all that debris around.”

  Clea nodded. “We’ll bring the shuttle. It’s got the shields for it and can maneuver the way the pirates did.”

  “You’re going to need someone particularly good at flying,” Adam said. “One of the bomber pilots maybe. Someone who can handle a bigger craft.”

  “Rudy,” Gray said. “He’s got the chops for this. Have Revente send him down.”

  Clea stood at attention. “Sir, I would like to accompany the team.”

  “Clea, that’s probably not a good idea.” Gray frowned. “Let’s talk in the ready room.”

  The two of them disappeared into his office and closed the door. He turned to her and kept his voice low. “Sometimes, it’s important for a superior officer to let their subordinates do their jobs. You can’t hover over them all the time.”

  “I trust them all, of course,” Clea said. “But I want to see it with my own eyes…to be there again and…I don’t know…put my memories to rest I suppose. Besides, I know exactly where we have to look and they’d flounder.”

  “You can’t show them on a schematic?”

  “The ship’s been cut in half and is possibly worse by now. I’m afraid there won’t be a map for however many sections it’s been broken into.”

  “I shouldn’t permit this.”

  “I hope you will.”

  Gray stepped away, peering at a monitor for several long moments. Clea worried he would come back with a negative but she didn’t see the harm in her departure. She’d gone down to the research facility after all. Why not a jaunt into space? Her zero G qualification was still current.

  “Okay, Clea, you can go.”

  Clea closed her eyes in silent thanks.

  “Providing you be careful. I can’t afford to lose our liaison. You’re lucky I’m not as conservative as the rest of my military council.”

  “I appreciate your confidence, sir. We’ll return with what we’re after or bad news. Either way, I believe this is something I need to do…for my sanity.”

  “I hope it helps. Be safe, Su-Anthar. I look forward to your report.”

  Clea gave him a salute. “Yes, sir.” And departed the bridge.

  ***

  Rudy arrived at the flight deck and looked over the shuttle they expected him to fly. The tech crew who brought the thing were all certified pilots but none of them actually had experience in the sort of environment they were about to fly through. Revente told him to consider it a combat op but that made him nervous.

  He never used kielan technology. Their own bombers were human designed based on alliance work. This thing…he hoped they kept it pretty straightforward or he’d be telling them he wasn’t their guy. As he boarded the ship, he noted that the cargo area had been converted into a computer lab but the walls represented every other military vehicle he’d ever been on.

  Spartan and bare. At least these guys aren’t all flash and pomp.

  Rudy climbed a ladder up to the next section, a living space with eight bunks recessed into the walls, two by two. At the end, a hatch led to a mess area then the bridge was another ten meters away. This isn’t a shuttle, it’s an RV for scientists. He figured they could carry enough supplies to survive for weeks if not a full month in deep space.

  Not exactly luxury but doable.

  Taking a look at the controls, he let out a sigh of relief. Flight controls looked a lot like his bomber with a throttler on the right and wheel in front. One of the techs joined him. “Hello there. My name’s Arak.”

  “Rudy, nice to meet you.”

  “Indeed.” Arak smiled. “Can I give you a brief tour of the pilot’s station?”

  “Go for it,” Rudy replied.

  The primer was more than sufficient to get him up to snuff but he didn’t quite feel comfortable flying a combat mission in it. Arak stated he’d be riding co-pilot to help with shield control and navigation. Plus, Rudy would have a good twenty minutes to get the feel of the ship before they arrived at the debris field.

  Plenty of time. I hope.

  Clea joined them, carrying a large case. “There are more of these in the back in the event that we have to leave the shuttle.”

  “What are they?” Rudy asked.

  “Environmental suits. I have a feeling we’re going to have to physically check out the wreckage to find what we’re after.”

  “Oh…” Rudy nodded, suddenly grateful he’d be up in the front of the ship flying it. “Good luck with that.”

  “I appreciate that, Wing Commander.” Clea turned to Arak. “Can we change in the mess area?”

  “There are a couple of rooms down there where you can have some privacy,” Arak said. “Go ahead.”

  “Thank you. Rudy, we leave in fifteen minutes.”

  “Let me just grab my things and I’ll start our preflight check.”

  Rudy stowed his gear behind the seat and ran through the various systems with Arak, ensuring they were ready to go. Everything checked out and he contacted the tower. They gave him immediate clearance and a few moments later, the hangar deck cleared. His communicator went off, a private message from Revente.

  “You sure you got this, Hale?”

  “Yes, sir. I just went over it with one of theirs. The ship’s enough like ours to make it okay.”

  “Be very careful out there. I looked at the scans and you’re flying into some of the worst environmental hazards I’ve ever seen.”

  “Sounds like a challenge.”

  “Just make sure you don’t take unnecessary risks. Revente out.”


  Very inspirational. Thank you for that, Commander.

  Clea returned wearing all but the helmet of an environmental suit. It fit the body tightly with rigid plates in place to avoid damage. A wrist computer attached to her left arm and a small pack rested on her back. He’d seen one of the kielan suits before and knew that they had a continuous oxygen generator that took up the bottom of the burden. Anything else in there must’ve been to enhance the computer.

  “Okay, Mister Hale,” Clea said. “I believe everyone’s ready. You can take us out.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Rudy took a deep breath and engaged the engines. The ship rumbled as he turned it around slowly, bringing them out of the hangar into deep space. Here we go. Learn fast, Hale. You don’t have time for mistakes.

  Chapter 6

  Rudy took the ship through some paces as they departed the Behemoth, getting a feel for how the thrusters moved them about. The inertial dampeners were incredible, reacting to the twitchiest motions he could manage. As they pulled a lazy circle, he felt confident he could get them where they needed to go.

  “If you’re ready,” Clea said, “I’ve put the information up on your screen. Just follow the marker and we’ll be in the general vicinity.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Rudy narrowed his eyes and read the scanner. Revente wasn’t kidding. The debris he saw made his stomach turn. This place is insane!

  “I’m increasing power to the shields,” Arak said. “I don’t think all the debris will be avoidable. Just the biggest of them.”

  Rudy nodded, concentrating for their entry into the field far too much to reply. He saw a massive bulkhead floating less than two hundred meters off to the starboard. Directly ahead, small rocks probably the size of his fist were highlighted by the scanner. He slowed down and nudged them with the shields, entering the area at little more than a drift.

  “Subtle flying,” Arak said. “I’m quite impressed.”

  “Thanks,” Rudy muttered. “I didn’t know I had it in me.”

  “Mister Hale is a bomber pilot,” Clea explained. “Which means subtlety isn’t usually part of his job.”

  “Ah.” Arak nodded, turning back to his station. “We’ve got a massive asteroid to port drifting toward us. Without compensation, it’ll collide in less than a minute.”

  Wow, this guy’s pretty calm considering what that would mean. Rudy compensated by initiating the thrusters, pushing them starboard to avoid the thing. He turned and saw it, swallowing hard. The massive asteroid might’ve been half the size of the Behemoth. It would’ve been like being on a raft and getting crushed by a humpback whale.

  I guess I’m glad he didn’t start yelling. They’ve got some faith in me I guess.

  Rudy climbed to avoid a particularly dense patch of technical debris, pieces of ship that he couldn’t identify. They moved past it and ever deeper into the field. He checked the scanner just to scare himself, to see how far they were away from the Behemoth and they’d already traveled over ten-thousand kilometers. Twenty minutes had passed.

  That long? It felt like five.

  A near miss nearly shaved their underside but he managed to twitch up, avoiding that asteroid but connecting with a few small rocks directly above them. The shields deflected them but Arak warned they dropped to forty-percent. Rudy let them recharge before pressing on, trying to take more care with the scanners.

  “I’m picking up a small vessel,” Arak said. “Roughly equivalent to us moving in.”

  “On intercept?” Rudy asked. “Out here?”

  “The pirates fight in this sector all the time,” Arak replied. “I would not be surprised if they assume we’re just some competition.”

  “Do we have any weapons?” Rudy assumed they did but the question made sense.

  “Indeed. Pulse cannons and military grade missiles.”

  Rudy nodded. “Great. Should we contact them first? Give them a chance to back off?”

  Clea spoke up, “there’s a good chance they’ll ignore us but I agree. Out here, in this mess, it would be best to avoid a fight.”

  Rudy engaged the communicator and tried to hail the craft. “Attention, incoming vessel. This is Commander Hale on an alliance salvage run. Please fall back and disengage. We are not here for a fight.”

  “They’re maintaining course,” Arak said.

  “C’mon, guys. Do you really want to throw down out here? We’re looking for one thing and you can go back to whatever you’re doing.”

  “Alliance ship,” a man’s voice crackled through the speakers. “This is the Dragon’s Tongue and you’re infringing on our territory. If you don’t want to be obliterated, fall back now and get out of this sector. This is your one and only warning.”

  “Did you totally ignore what I just said?” Rudy asked. “We’re alliance. That means military and we’re not infringing on anything. You can’t claim this junkyard. Half the stuff out here belongs to us. Now, I’ll totally let you continue your operations but you have to let me finish mine. This is important.”

  “I guess we’ll be salvaging you guys too then.”

  The pirates cut the line.

  “That happened.” Rudy sighed. “Okay, familiarize me with the weapons because we’re going to be in it.”

  “Analysis of the enemy vessel indicates that they are not as well equipped as ours. Their shields are enhanced consumer grade, meaning a few well placed blasts will take them down.” Arak brought something up on the scanner. “Furthermore, they are not equipped with the continuous cannon that the other pirates were so we should be safe from retaliation.”

  “Weapons?” Rudy prompted.

  “I’ve brought them online,” Arak said. “Your triggers are on the flight wheel. Targeting computer is also up and ready. Just avoid the largest debris in the conflict and we should come out okay.”

  Rudy checked the scanner and saw their opponent was merely two hundred kilometers away but they approached behind a veil of tightly packed rockets. That’s interesting. Let’s try something. He pulled up, putting their target reticle directly in the center of the barrier blocking their target and opened fire with pulse cannons.

  The rocks were obliterated, opening a perfect view of the pirates as they barreled toward them. Their plan seemed to be get as close as possible and go above or below the barrier to get a sneak attack in. As they started to bank high for their shot, Rudy fired again, clipping the back of their ship.

  It spun to the right then engaged engines and tried to put some distance between them. Rudy pursued, taking their six. He hadn’t done any real dogfighting outside the simulator in a long time. His ships were designed for a totally different purpose but he got back into quickly enough. Unleashing another blast, he barely missed.

  The pirates continued to fly erratically and it became clear they knew the area well. Rudy smacked into some pretty sizable rocks and Arak casually informed him what each blow did to the shields. The constant reminder of the descending percentages started to annoy him but he was too focused to say anything.

  The pirates pulled around a particularly large piece of starship, what looked like the frame of an engine. As they did, Rudy slowed and prepared for them to pop out the other side. Instead, they sprouted from the top and spun, firing a full blast that directly hit the top of the alliance ship.

  “Damn it!” Rudy pressed the throttle forward, gaining some momentum before initiating the thrusters and spinning around. Just as the pirates would’ve taken their six, he was flying backward and facing them. Firing missiles and cannons at the same time, the pirate couldn’t pull up in time.

  Their front took the full brunt of the damage and micro-explosions dotted the hull of their craft. Rudy slowed them down again, just a few dozen kilometers ahead of running into another chunk of ship. The pirate exploded, leaving behind little more than dust and sparking metal. Phew. That was nuts.

  “Excellent flying, Mister Hale,” Arak said. “Our destination is approximately twenty-thousand kilometers back the w
ay we came. I’ll give you an indicator to follow.

  I’m glad he thought the flying was okay but I expected a few more moments of elation that we made it before we got right back to business. I guess that’s not how kielans roll.

  Rudy got them moving again, this time even more cautious and aware of their surroundings. He reported back to the Behemoth and let them know about the attack. Revente advised caution. If I wasn’t with the kielans, I’d tell him off about that. Thanks for the news flash, Group Commander. I never would’ve thought of that on my own.

  As they approached their destination, he realized they’d been flying for well over forty-five minutes. That was the longest three-quarters of an hour of my life.

  “Very good,” Clea said. “Arak, I’m taking two people with me over to the ship when we find it. Please use the scan data in lines thirty-six to forty-eight for signatures.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Arak did as instructed and put a marker on the screen. “If the readings are correct, the Tempered Steel is right over there. Less than a kilometer away.”

  “Take us over there, Rudy.” Clea put on her helmet. “You should be able to land on the surface. The drift, according to our readings, was not too bad.”

  Now I’m landing on moving garbage. This is definitely my day to be tested.

  Rudy again moved them slowly toward their destination. Here, so close to the wreckage they were after, rocks continually bounced off their shields, bumped out of the way as they progressed. A ship with less protective capacity would be suicidal to try for any of the salvage in this place.

  When he saw the hulk of the Tempered Steel, his heart pounded hard in his chest. Seeing a capital ship dead in space filled him with awe and a sense of sadness. Many people died on that ship, their bodies likely still floating in the vacuum of space, mixed in amongst this debris surrounding them.