“The last Trampship has scrammed its cores Captain.”
The Battleship’s Captain appeared on the screen next to the Company Captain as the 5inch gun streaks stopped shooting across from the Battleship. “I am Captain Dorkman, Congressman Butcher is my backer. Your company cannot touch me and I have my orders to destroy anyone claiming to be from Task Force 58 without asking questions and your ships are on the list. I don’t care what information you have on TF-58 that I can’t find out following the plot I just down loaded from your transports navigation Computers. What can you pay for clemency to let you live.”
“Are you a fool?” The Battleship Captain started to turn red. “No, No I did not mean it. Here, I am sending you a Company account number with ten million in the ships emergency fund. Take it. I will authorize the account if you will let my ship go.”
Jack slowed the Phoenix down as he took in what was happening. Shocked that two Tramp Transports had already been destroyed with thousands of crewmen and their families. Jack did not like the ass hole but if he could get his ship out of there in one piece simply by paying a bribe he would let him do it otherwise even if Jack interceded the transport and its crew would most likely come out on the short end of the stick.
The Battleship Captain smiled. “I knew the fucking Tramps could not pay. It is good to know I was right and that your Company has deep pockets. Release the credits and I will let you go.”
“Good. Good. I am sending it now. You should have it in your account in a few seconds. The Rock needs to know the information I have for them.”
The Battleship Captain smiled as he watched a screen. Then. “Very good I like that number. Now do you have any more credits you can access?”
“But you said you would let us go if I gave you the credits.”
“Yes but my Executive Officer should be compensated too or he will take over where I left off.” The Captain smiled.
Jack hit the General Quarters alarm. “Comm. put me into their conversation.”
“This is Admiral Turner. You will stop all hostile activity Captain Dorkman and place yourself under arrest for murdering two Republic Transports and their crews.”
Captain Dorkman started laughing as 12 torpedoes left the battleship and streaked toward the Transports.
Jack slapped the throttle forward to its stop and the Phoenix shot out into the large open approaches to the maze with the second Tramp Transport’s fusion fireball still expanding and the remains of the first ship’s dissipating explosion still easily seen, explaining the first blinding light Jack had seen. Still out of range of the Phoenix’s point defenses, he had only one chance to take out the torpedoes. “Priority Power to the Guns, full spread diffusion and rapid fire now on the main guns.” He was hoping that the orders to change the guns over to point defense when they approached Delta 7 and the strange Republic Fleet was still in affect with the big guns or it was too late for the transport.
“Ready Captain.” Came the reply. “Diverting power to the guns now.”
Jack sighted on the closely packed torpedoes as the weapons officer marked them as targets. Having to shut down the IFF system to do it. “Ready Captain.”
Jack pulled the trigger and both of the big guns fired together bucking the Destroyer. Not risking the asymmetrical fire knocking the guns aim off, knowing in his heart that the ship could handle both guns firing at once. The beams hit the closely packed torpedoes running strait with no reason to maneuver making them easy targets. The two big guns with hundred yard wide beams at that range firing 5 times a second at low power, walked across the line of torpedoes taking all 12 out before they had reached half way to their target.
“Damn it Captain Stevens. Make a run for it.” Jack yelled at the Company Captain. The Tramp Transport had scrammed it core and wasn’t going anywhere for a while.
The Transport turned and clawed its way toward the nearest cloud and was almost there when the battleship, as its nose finished turning toward the helpless Transport, fired.
Sixty 24 inch guns turned the transports hull into a colander in a millisecond of firing. Jack was shocked at the over kill of the Battleship’s entire broadside (called broadside from Earths history meaning firing all a ship’s big guns on one side of the ship even though the modern ship was pointed directly at the transport). Fire, gasses, liquids, equipment, wreckage and bodies came spewing out of the almost 30 holes punched completely through the ship. Jack was surprised that half the beams missed with the ship at point blank range. Though it had not made any difference to the Company Transport or its crew.
“Nice trick with the Torpedoes Turner but you couldn’t stop my 24 inch guns. I was itching to use them anyway but the torpedoes would have left enough evidence that I could have blamed someone else for its destruction. Kind of hard to do after my 24 inch guns got doneblowing holes in it but I could not leave the Captain alive as a witness and know your puny little ship’s turn. If my 5 inch guns don’t take you out first like they did the first two transports, I will fire May 24 inch guns again. I did so much like watching the 5 inch guns tear up the transports though. My 5 inch guns will get even with you know as I watch them tear you up like that fool Ditzen was supposed to do weeks ago. Though thanks for winning my bet with the other captains. At 10 to one odds I won big time. I knew that fool could not win against a Girl Scout troop. I knew when we didn’t hear back from Ditzen you would head this way so I came out to play ahead of the morons sitting at the other end of the Maze waiting to go after TF-58. Why they let that piss-ant Admiral try to do the job is beyond me but know you are mine. Though I had hoped I would get to take on the Famous Red Pepper instead of this little ankle biting Chihuahua.” The Captain suddenly looked puzzle as one of his officers talked to him for a second. “It is still alive after a broadside from us? How could they have missed at this range? We have the finest targeting computers in the universe. Well then fire the fucking guns again and this time they had better hit something.”
As the 24 inch guns fired again at the Company ship, another officer turned to the Captain without Jack hearing the report and then with a baffled expression. “Ok. How did those moron transports get in the main freeway when they should have come out from the river at the corner of the Maze’s entry Bay? Did you pukes miss them as they came out the other side of this bay?”
Jack turned to target the DD’s big main guns on the battleship. Raking their rapid fire wide beams across the hull and turrets of the ship doing little damage. “Damn it. Heat the big guns back up.” Five inch beams started streaking past the Phoenix as the Phoenix’s own 8inch and 5inch guns with their beams reduced to much hotter 5inch and 3inch beams respectively started barking at such close range they could not miss the big Battleship’s turrets. Jack was surprised to see even their beams seemed to be penetrating the Battleships outer hull. Though the little beams were not doing much damage to the big Battleship unless they hit a turret which more and more of the shots did after the first couple rounds as the gunners settled down.
“It is going to take a few seconds to reconfigure the Main guns Captain.”
Jack threw the controls over making a hard turn as the battleship started turning toward the Phoenix and the corridor they had just come out of. “Well, we don’t have a few seconds with them turning their damn armored decks toward us.”
Jack was not surprised that the battleship was one of the new ships designed with much wider armored decks and tanks forward to look a little like the Spider Battleships. Like the Battleships that had attacked the Gama-13 station only a few weeks before but something was different about this one.
Zooming in on the Battleship’s armored decks forward Jack suddenly realized what was different. These shield decks were much thicker than the battleships now being stripped and modified into transports back at the Basestation. At least 3 times thicker. Though not half as thick as the Spider Battleships even wider armored decks.
The Captain of the Congressional Battleship turned back to Jack as the
battleship fired another 24 inch broadside at the Company transport, though this time it really did only consist of the guns on the one side of the ship facing the transport. Half the beams missed again but still it tore more holes into the unarmored ship that had just scrammed its core. Though an explosion could be seen in the stern where a Plasma battery had been hit.
Jack winced as a dozen beams streaked past the Destroyer from the Battleship’s 24 inch guns on the side of the turning Battleship facing the DD, without coming close.
Chuckling at Jack the Captain said. “Admiral Ditzen sent a message telling us about being detected by your scouts so he had gone ahead of the transport and was about to capture the Gama 13 station and take you prisoner Captain Turner. Only I knew better when we got no further transmissions from him. I knew if you were out and about I would find you on this end of the maze stupidly headed for The Rock to find out why he was picking on you. The transports were just icing on the cake. Now I will take care of you the way that fool Ditzen should have.”
With the Battleship slowly turning toward the DD, more of the 24 inch turrets turned to bear onto the DD’s as more and more 24 inch beams started streaking past the DD as Jack kept maneuvering back towards the nearest cloud. Jack was surprised that the Battleship’s 5 inch guns were not even firing at them. Massive 5 inch gun fire had a better chance of hitting them than the big guns if he continued to maneuver.
Captain Dorkman chuckled. “I figured that if you took out his squadron of Simi new Battleships, you would not have a problem with the old antiques they had guarding the Transit Station blocking the river corridor from your little Gama 13 entry maze. What happened? Did the Red Pepper get destroyed in the battle or did you leave it behind to guard your alien friends. That would also explain why you are on this little Skateboat. Damn, I was hoping to take on the famous Red Pepper as I said. But you will do nicely. Earning me a promotion to Commodore and my own little squadron.
Jack sneered at the Dorkman. “At least you are picking a fight with someone that can kill you Captain and not defenseless transports. I think I am going to enjoy killing you as much as I did the Spiders.”
“Your little DD can’t even scratch my Battleship Turner. You already tried.” The Captain started laughing not noticing the red damage control lights Jack could see on the damage control screen across the back bulkhead behind the Captain as the Phoenix’s 8inch and 5 inch guns firing back over the stern of the DD continued knocking out turrets including a half dozen of the 24 inch turrets (that were shooting at them) already.
The Battleship Captain laughed. “Once I take care of you, I will join the fleet that is getting ready to leave to finish wiping out TF-58 next week since the damn spiders couldn’t do it as planned. Too bad they have no reaction mass for their old pitiful engines and can’t even maneuver let alone run. I am surprised they found the reaction mass for the 4 transports but it didn’t do them any good. Real shame after spending months pushing through that damn cloud around the blockading squadron we have at the Transit Station in the intersection to the corridor to Delta 7, only to blow up for no apparent reason like that. What a shame. Just like you are about to do Vice Admiral Turner. The news reports will certainly show your state funeral all across the Republic and I will tell how I just could not get to your damaged ship in time to save you and your gallant crew from the Spider attach that whipped out Ditzen and all the others before we killed your Spider Battleship Friends.”
“Come on Ass Hole. I have killed Spider Battleships. Taking you out is no problem. I won’t even work up a sweat. Surrender now and I will save your crew from your stupidity.” Jack disappeared into the cloud as the Battleship’s full 24 inch gun Broadside finally started to bear on the little DD without getting a lock on.
“Just like the Chicken shit I knew you were Turner. You could not have possible done Half the things they say you did.”
“That is the first time you have been right about something ass Hole. But I will still take you out.” Jack muted the Comm long enough to have the Comm officer drop a couple of Comm decoy buoys before cutting the mute to the Captain again. “The thing is, I don’t even have to call the rest of my Squadron to help me Captain. You and your ship and crew are dead and you just don’t know it yet.” Jack worked his way around the side of the open area through the cloud. The matter scoop allowing him to make good speed as his transmission was relayed through the series of Decoy/Comm buoys trailing the DD. “What I don’t understand is why. Why destroy half the fleet when we have an enemy about to destroy the republic?”
“You can’t be that stupid Turner. As soon as they see that Earths Socially Enlightened Communist Democrats are now in control of the military, they will see that we are no threat to them and leave the Republic alone. Then the Politically Enlightened Navy can enforce the basic laws of Social Communist Democratic Liberalism across the entire Republic. Force them to see the “Enlightened” way and stop wasting resources and harming the planets they live on. Force them to use mass transit with travel permits and work permits so they only work at jobs that government says is best for them and the planet. We can’t afford to allow people to go where they want and do anything they please when they feel like it. We can’t allow them to harm themselves doing stupid things morons do and buy anything their stupid emotions tell them they want. My god Turner, they even color their toilet paper in the colonies that could possible, maybe, cause butt cancer. Reds and greens and pastels just to wipe their butts. They can buy giant 44 once soda’s at minimarkets and are allowed to watch movies that are not socially approved and hear news that is not Politically Correct and Uncensored, with other politically incorrect points of view. They even allow the parents to have multiple kids and decide what is taught in and go to any local school they wish instead of what and where the government has decided is best for them. It’s barbaric if the government can’t train children to think proper political correct thoughts such as proper Masturbation, Child Adult love, free Abortions at a whim and to Love only their Government and Enlightened Betters and not a phantasy God. That takes the proper indoctrination starting in the first pre-grades. Grade School kids do not need to learn Reading and Writing and Arithmetic until after they are properly programmed. The Colonies are even against abortion anytime a woman feels like it. Can you imagine the multiple monsters woman are forced to raise against their will just because they do not feel like using birth control once in a while not to mention from legal rapes by Democrat elites.”
“Ya. Monsters like you. Can you imagine even thinking that babies even while still in the womb are people too with rights and worth protecting? How unenlightened we are. But then my Pop always said killing the unborn is just one step away from killing anyone at any age at any time. It takes the same mind set.” Jack said sarcastically as he brought the DD around and slapped the throttle all the way forward. “Yes it is barbaric to think that people should be allowed to think and do what they want when they want as long as it hurts no one but themselves without the Government or even a few self-selected elites deciding for them. What really torques my butt is how you elites don’t have to worry about getting permits to travel or shop at the stores you want or send your kids to private schools of your choosing or even permits to buy food that isn’t slop or even meat.”
The Battleship Captain shook his head at Jack with a sad expression as he took a deep breath. “What a moron, can’t you understand something as simple as rationing. The stupid masses have to have their food rationed with purchase permits or they will not eat properly and become overweight.” Shaking his head with disgust. “For a fraction of a second I thought I could turn you toward thinking properly but you are nothing but a buffoon that does not deserve to live.”
“And another Politically Correct Communist Democrat decides to murder someone just because they don’t agree with him. You going to send me to one of your camps so you don’t get your hands dirty and claim you are not the one doing the killing or delude yourself that the killin
g is not really happening. While demanding sentenced murderers be let out of prisons because they feel sorry now, especially if they are an elite. All while insisting that a woman can murder her baby at a whim or if the State Parenting Centers brainwashes her into thinking she needs an abortion. Talking about hypocrites. The only time you Communist Democrats care about a life is when you can use it to control people.”
That does it Turner you are dead. How the hell do you think we can keep the stupid from procreating or the elite from having to waste their time raising kids? So what if a few million babies are killed, all women have the right to control their bodies. You will die like all the rest that don’t believe in the Liberally Enlightened Democrat truth.”
Turning to the side Dorkman yelled. “You have a lock on that Son of a Bitch’s ship’s signal. Fire the damn guns. I want him dead now.”
“Yes the typical Politically Correct Democrat so ready to kill anyone that disagrees with you while letting murderers run free. But then maybe that is why you enlightened politically correct are so lax on crime and against capital punishment, just in case you get caught lying, stealing or killing someone yourselves. Makes sense now.”
“Captain.” Jack heard one of the Battleship’s bridge Officers. “13 of our 24inch turrets have been knocked out Captain. Barrels are starting to blow up ahead of schedule when fired, before they can be switched out for new barrels. Others are simply failing for no apparent reason. The damaged turrets will take time to repair.”
Turning on the Officer. “That is impossible you moron. Get someone down there and start whipping the guns crews. I will not put up with turret crews mutinying on my ship just because we are shooting at innocent transports or their fucking hero. Shoot a couple as an example and hang their bodies on the mess deck for all to see.”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 92