Chronicles of Athena Lee

by T S Paul

  Deep in thought, the Captain nodded his head. “OK, we will leave them alone. For now. I need to dig into this however. Commander Dunne, you WILL be telling me what you know. Let’s solve one mystery at a time shall we. Commander Freeman, take us to the next way-point. This meeting is dismissed. Back to work.”

  This Navy that I joined has serious problems. Was this Governor going to try and kill me too? I think that I have a job for Wilson.

  Our ship continued to follow the electronic trail left by the suspected pirates. Our sensors showed a lot more ship traffic than had ever been reported out here. The point in space that we had assumed was a rendezvous spot, was in the middle of three distinct solar systems. None of which were on our charts.

  Lt Commander Draper was the ship's Astrophysics Officer. He was assigned to navigation but was rarely seen. Looking at the three systems he spoke to the captain. “Sir, the system on the right is a W class star. It is basically a dying supergiant. The system supports mainly gas planets or those that resemble large moons. This would be a perfect system for bulk mining.” Draper twitched a lot. In some ways he resembled a rodent. It was hard not to think of him that way.

  Twitching some more, the commander continued “The star on the left is a class B. The planets should be gas giants and silicon based planets. Life would not be easy in that system. The star in front of us is the big winner. A K class star. Lots of potential for life bearing planets. The star is similar in strength to the one in Sigma Draconis or at Pollux. This may be the system that we are looking for. Sir, permission to use sensors to log the stars for future study?” He was now rubbing his hands in delight.

  “Permission granted Lt Commander. You are dismissed.” After Draper had left the captain commented “that is a very unusual young commander.”

  Commander Freeman chuckled. “He almost never comes out of his tiny lab in navigation. He's brilliant but not a very sociable person.”

  “OK we have our target. Commander Freeman take us toward the K star.”

  “Yes Captain. Right away sir.”

  “GENERAL QUARTERS GENERAL QUARTERS”

  “ALL HANDS TO BATTLESTATIONS, ALL HANDS TO BATTLESTATIONS.”

  “THIS IS NOT A DRILL” began to echo throughout the ship. The crew scrambled into skin suits and moved to their stations. Armed marine guards were now stationed at all major access points in the ship. Marine gunners now assumed control of all the ship’s weapons systems.

  My request to the captain to return to engineering was denied. Captain Gorshin felt that my research into early spacecraft and colony ships would give him insight if it came to battle. I left Midshipman Bartleby in charge.

  As we entered the system we detected a battle already in progress.

  Chapter 14

  The system was smaller than most, three planets and an asteroid field. Two planets were gas giants, it was the third that held promise of a life giving atmosphere. Strong electronic emissions were coming from that planet. Scans showed a moderate to advanced civilization on the planet. In orbit were several rough-looking space stations and shipyards. The area around the planet was a battlefield filled with the floating remains of burnt and battered ships.

  “Status Commander Wang?” Our captain was in full combat mode.

  “Sir, scans have identified two groups of combatants. What appears to be local defensive forces and a mixed fleet of aggressors.”

  “Commander Wang, what is the makeup of the aggressor fleet? What kind of ships are we up against?”

  “Sir, intelligence has identified a half dozen freighter's, one Banzai class destroyer, one Ibuki class light cruiser, and a Charger class carrier.”

  With fierce concentration the captain asked “XO, what do we know about the carrier? That class is not familiar to me.”

  “Sir, intelligence reports that the carrier is a former AA support ship. It is based on a civilian space liner design. Only four of the class were built. Original armament was defensive only. It can hold up to 30 fighters.”

  The captain now had his eyes closed and was clearly concentrating on something. Without looking up the captain asked “what about the defenders? What are we looking at?”

  “The defenders appear to be using strictly fighters. Starfuries with War Shot. Several larger ships are in that make-shift shipyard but have not launched. The defense platforms are also equipped with War Shot, and with what appears to be tactical nuke missiles.”

  The Captain glanced in my direction and saw me studying the scan data. “Lieutenant, see something that could help?”

  “Maybe sir, the carrier only has point defense and the fighters all look like short range surplus: Sky Sharks, Red Falcons, and Fuglies. Take out the carrier first. Those fighters will run out of fuel fast sir. Unless they changed it, the Banzai class has very light armor around its engines. The Ibuki is the problem. It has those turrets fore and aft. Plus it carries fighters.”

  “Very good Lee, we will make a tactician out of you yet. I Captained an Ibuki in the war, the Hosho. It is a tough class of ship. Triangular in shape with thick armor on all sides. The only vulnerable spots are the hanger deck aft and flight control surfaces. I wonder which one she was?” Captain Gorshin studied the scan for a moment. “What about the planetary forces?”

  “Sir, those Starfuries look like the first model ones. I got to take apart one of those not too long ago. They are high powered and lethal. Aim for the pilot, take him out first.” The captain turned and looked at me with sharp eyes.

  “A little bloodthirsty Lee, that's not like you.”

  “ No sir, it's practical. The early Starfuries have a backup generator located under the pilot's seat. Even if you disable the ship the weapons can still be fired by the pilot.”

  “Ah, sir?” The young Lieutenant had a question.

  “Yes, William?”

  “May I ask what a Fuglie is?” I had to chuckle at that.

  “Lieutenant, a Fuglie is what is generally called a 'scratch built' ship. It is not uncommon out here to take the wreckage of several ships and build one. They are flying scrap heaps. Don't discount them though. Each ship is unique, only the pilot knows what it is armed with until it fires. Watch each one carefully. Communications, start broadcasting who we are to the colony forces, get with intelligence and find their frequencies. Let those people know who we are. Those ships are old but they can still kill us!” The captain pulled up his control console and hit the intercom button.

  “Attention, this is the Captain. We are about to thrust ourselves into a battle not of our making. This navy was founded to protect the Empire of Man. We fight pirates and other forces to do our duty. We are going to do our damnedest to prevent the destruction of this colony by pirates or raiders. Follow your orders and trust your training.” Turning the intercom off, the captain turned back to the bridge. “OK, set emergency stations. Fire control teams to your positions. Let’s go. Attack!”

  In my head I heard Wilson muttering “...ride for ruin.....red dawn..”

  “Wilson. Wilson! Pay attention. I need you to activate the repair droid in my quarters and send it to engineering. Tell it to make repairs as needed. Did you hear me.” As I appeared to be talking to myself, I got several looks from the bridge crew.

  “Yes Athena, I heard you. The droid, he snickered, is on it’s way.” I called Midshipman Bartleby and let him know he was getting some help, sort of.

  The James Cook was going to war.

  Chapter 15

  The pirate fleet was attacking the 'lost' colony world. The pirate light carrier Boadicea, was monitoring the battle from a rearward position. The resupply freighters surrounded the ship. So far the battle was going well. This was a prime target; a rich world that no one knew about.

  Captain Amlodi watched the battle monitors with glee. The prize money from this world would set him up for life. As a captain he had first pick of the slaves. He had an asteroid all picked out for his new home. His console beeping roused him from his dreams of an empire
. “WHAT!” He yelled at the bridge crew.

  “Captain, sensors are picking up a ship closing with us from behind the fleet.” The lieutenant was very nervous as the commander had been known to shoot bearers of bad news.

  “That should be one of the resupply freighters coming back from Clew Reach, don't worry about it.”

  “Uh, sir, it’s too big to be one of our ships, and our sensors are being jammed sir.”

  “What! Raka transfer your readings to me you idiot, that's impossible. No one knows we are here.” Amlodi checked the scan data. “That's a Navy heavy cruiser! What the Hell is it doing way out here? Sound battle stations!”

  At that moment the James Cook launched a spread of five torpedoes at the carrier.

  “Incoming torpedoes sir ...impact in 30 seconds.” Lieutenant Raka was in a panic. The Navy wasn't supposed to be here. “Captain? Orders? Sir, sir. Orders sir?”

  Captain Amlodi was frozen, his dreams were being crushed, for a moment he could hear nothing. Hearing his name woke him from a stupor. He glanced at his scans and his heart stopped. Then he started yelling.

  “Battle stations, point defense, target those torpedoes! Fight the ship you idiots! Battle stations!”

  Amlodi was yelling at deaf ears. These were pirates who had never had to fight in defense of their ship before. Like rats leaving a sinking ship the crew was running for the life pods as fast as they could. Pirates made lousy gunners. They had always just done the bare minimum. Everything else was too much like work.

  The ship’s computer was counting down. “Impact in 10 seconds.....9....8....7...6....5...4...3...2..1.”

  The countdown was the last thing that Amlodi heard in this life. The torpedoes ran true and hit the carrier amidships. The Boadicea had been taking on supplies. Ammunition and other flammables had been piled in the hangar bay for distribution.

  The resulting explosion was like a miniature star.

  The bright fusion explosion heralded the James Cook's entrance into the battle. The Gunners began firing at the scrambling freighters as the James Cook passed by. Most did not stand a chance, the rest scattered in every direction regardless of orders.

  On board the Ganuaile, the pirate flagship and cruiser, Kate O'Malley, the pirate 'Queen', stood in shock at the explosion. But only for a moment. “What ship is that?” She watched as the heavy cruiser flew past the freighters, scattering them like a flock of birds.

  “Ma'am it's the EOM James Cook. It just destroyed five of our resupply ships along with the carrier.”

  “Commander Alaois, order the fighters away from those colony pricks, have them concentrate fire on the navy ship.” Her victory had been assured, damn it. What in the five hells was the navy doing here! If this was a double cross, she would have that Governor's head on a pike!

  “Ma'am, the fighter pilots are reporting they are running out of ammo and fuel.”

  She turned and glared at the commander. “Tell them to run those ships dry if they have to, but fire at that cruiser! Dying in space will be a mercy from what I will do to them if they don't follow my fecking orders!” She softened her voice. “We can resupply a few of them. Launch the Queen’s Squadron. When the bay is empty, take aboard the worst of the lot then get them back out there.”

  The heavy cruiser's course was obvious. It was headed straight for those fecking colonists. When the Tetch brothers had found this world she almost could not believe it. The Ghost ships were fairy tales to tell to children. Who could believe that they were real. Finding a non-aligned world out here with no real protection was just money in the bank. She had initially tried subterfuge and had approached them with open arms. Those idiot Tetch's had screwed that up. What kind of idiot kidnaps a girl from a negotiation meeting? A really stupid pirate, that's who. Those two idiots barely escaped with their lives. Now the fecking navy was involved.

  The pirate 'Queen' checked her navigation plot. “Alaois, tell Dafydd to use his destroyer to support the fighters, but to NOT, and I mean NOT, go toe-to-toe with the cruiser. When their tanks are dry have him tow what he can back to us. Send orders to the Queen’s Squadron. Attack targets of opportunity. It's us or them. Tell them to hit that shipyard and start in on the platforms.” She looked over at her navigation station. “How many of the freighters are still with us? See if you can call back the ones that scattered. We have to have those supplies. What a cluster- feck this attack has been. Feck!” With that the 'Queen' stormed off the bridge.

  Back in her cabin Kate O'Malley was breaking things in anger. About to throw another trophy at the wall she had a thought. If Governor Tweed was not behind this attack, did he know about it? She mashed her hand down on the intercom system. “Communications? Pick the fastest freighter we have left and send them to New Reno. I have a message for our friend the Governor.”

  Chapter 16

  The pirate carrier's explosion heralded the James Cook's attack on the Clew Reach pirates. The heavy cruiser swooped in like the angel of death, destroying pirate freighters and fighters in its wake.

  On the bridge the echoes of cheers were still sounding. Lieutenant Hudson's torpedo men had scored direct hits on the light carrier, completely destroying it. Bursting through the covey of freighters our ship with its side gunners had destroyed at least five, damaging many more. The main conflict area was still ahead of us.

  “Communications? Have you gotten through to the colony yet?” The Captain still had his game face on and was short with everyone.

  “Yes sir. We have, but they don't believe us. The pirates tried this trick already they said.”

  Damn all pirates to hell. “Link your broadcast to my station. Audio and vid please.” The captain looked straight ahead at the main screen. “This is Captain Kodo Gorshin of the Empire of Humanity ship James Cook to any colony representative. Our assignment is to represent the Empire and protect its colony worlds. We intercepted two pirate ships in our closest system. We backtracked their navigation data to your location here. We have destroyed the pirate carrier. It is my request to have you either help us to defeat the pirates or retreat to your world. We can settle who is who after the battle. But pick a side. I have no desire to attack your ships. James Cook, clear.”

  The intelligence officer spoke up. “Captain the pirate fighters have turned away from the colony ships and are on an attack vector toward us now. A squadron of Stuka IV's just launched from the cruiser and are flying CAP.”

  “Lieutenant Hudson, get point defense ready and repel those fighters. Navigation, head for a position between the colony and the pirates.”

  The main screen lit up with the face of an middle age man wearing a old fashioned suit and tie. “This is Bishop Heratio Beck the spiritual and temporal leader of Beck’s Refuge to the ship claiming to be from the Empire of Humanity. We have witnessed your attack on the pirates and villains who have threatened our world. While we are still suspicious, we will retreat to the planetary stations. If you are an enemy we will not hesitate to attack you. Beck’s Refuge clear.”

  Shaking his head the Captain turned to the XO. “Status of the pirate ships?”

  “Three squadrons of mixed fighters inbound and the destroyer is coming around to attack.”

  “Keep point defense concentrated on the fighter's, main guns, take out that destroyer!”, the Captain roared.

  I took that moment to get the Captain’s attention and said “Captain sir? Can I return to engineering to organize my people? We are about to take damage sir.”

  “You are right. Dismissed Lee.” He turned back to fighting his ship. I quickly left the bridge and raced to engineering.

  I had just made it to the lift when the ship shuddered from the first attack. Ignoring the lift I ran to the access tubes between decks. Popping the hatch I slid down the gravity well to the engineering deck.

  My people were doing their jobs. The full shift was here and in action. We had damage control teams suited up and standing by to make repairs. Midshipman Jacobs acknowledged me with a sharp
nod and returned to his panel. I caught Ellery's attention and called her over.

  “Midshipman Ellery, I need you to pick three of your best crew and have them suit up and get into the fusion controller room. I had it fully stocked with food and water for three days already.” She gave me a strange look. “It is the safest place on the whole ship. If the worst happens they can safely get out and be able to save us. Just do it.”

  The ship shuddered and jerked. We were starting to take a pounding. I looked around the room. “Did my droid show up.” Barteby answered.

  “Yes ma'am, it did. It wandered off and I think it was fine tuning the engines. How did you make it autonomous?” A distant roar was heard.