Gray Panthers: Dixie

by David Guenther

  Roar suspected the AI for the ship was responsible for more than what the humans had let on. Opening the secondary backup panel, he disconnected the primary lead and then closed the panel.

  “You been napping, Roar?” Chief Honda was actually in a good mood.

  “Good morning, Chief. I pulled up the checklists and the records maintenance history and saw that the thirty-day inspection is due. I thought we could go over it.”

  “I’m impressed, Roar. Except it was done last night. I have to review the work before it can be updated as inspected. I’ll let you do the tasks over, and you can not only perform the tasks, but also explain to me what you’re doing and why.” The big hunk of fur is thinking. That’s a good sign.

  Just then the hatchway opened and a droid came through. The droid consisted of a shiny black barrel-shaped frame that was six-feet high. Holding up the frame was a pair of legs that were two feet long, with a single joint midway down. At the bottom was a flat-hinged protrusion with numerous metal claws. Along both sides of the barreled body were three pairs of three-foot long arms, each arm having a single joint midway, similar to the legs. At the end of each arm was a bulbous, box-like shape that contained various tools. Atop the body, a frosted-white circular sphere with a single eye continuously scanned in all directions.

  “Cyclops, what is your purpose here?” Honda watched the droid prepare to answer.

  “There is a fault in the secondary backup panel.” The droid proceeded to open the panel and reconnect the primary lead, then close the panel.

  “Why did you pull the primary lead in the panel, Roar?” Honda asked flatly.

  “I suspected that what we do is unimportant, and that the AI can do everything. That is why ten crewmen are not required here like under the Libra. I pulled the lead less than an hour ago. I was going to fix it if the AI did not discover it.” Roar was neither apologetic nor defensive.

  “I pulled the exact same lead the second day I was here. It took less than twenty minutes for a droid to show up to fix it. I’m glad to see you’re intelligent enough to try such a test. But remember, the ship has two systems—the AI and a crew. If one fails, it needs the other, so you have to learn all you can.” Furball is going to work out okay.

  “I have one more question, Chief. What, or who, is Cyclops?”

  Arizona Space Ship Beater, in Libra space

  22 November 2128

  Commander Poland was happy to have Captain Young volunteer to be his wingman while he explored the derelict patrol ship. The droids had entered the ship before them and had already disappeared.

  Their entry through the ship’s side hatchway entailed having to manually undog the hatch. The interior was black, absorbing any illumination from their lights.

  “Let’s go left,” Poland suggested as they entered. It was work to walk in the zero gravity using magnetic boots. They had gone less than two hundred feet when they discovered the first body. It was floating near a blown-out terminal that had taken out part of the bulkhead when it exploded. There was jagged metal around the entire space.

  “Careful, Commander. You could make a hell of a tear there.” Young started to feel a little claustrophobic, remembering back on the cargo ship when his airflow had been restricted.

  Beater had been monitoring their progress. “There’s a passageway ten feet ahead of you. If you turn right, it will take you to the bridge,” the AI told them.

  “Thank you, Beater.” Poland looked around him, wondering if there were any faeries monitoring him for the AI Beater even now.

  The passageway ended at a hatchway that was still dogged. Poland was ready to accept defeat, but Young spoke up. “Commander, look above your head.”

  Poland looked up to see that a huge chunk of the ceiling and wall was missing. The edges of the hole looked molten instead of jagged.

  “Looks to me like they took some serious laser damage.” Young released his magnetic lock on his boots as he propelled himself up to the hole, stopping his momentum when he noticed stars. The realization that he had almost gone out into space made him clutch the wall that much more firmly.

  “Commander, I was lucky. If you look carefully above me, there’s no ceiling. Do you want to jump up here and take the chance?”

  “I’m not feeling particularly lucky today. Can you look over the wall and tell me what the flight deck looks like?”

  Young repositioned himself so he could see over the wall. “Looks like the room is about a hundred feet wide by fifty feet long, and there are twenty stations similar to the ones on Republic ships. Would make a nice sports bar, with all the monitors filling every bit of wall space. I see fifteen bodies strapped into their seats, and there are enough bodies and parts of bodies floating around for an additional ten crewmen. Should we check out the ship’s bay area? Might find a fighter or shuttle.”

  “That sounds more promising than what we found here, Captain Young. Thanks for popping up there before I popped myself into space.”

  Young shoved himself away from the wall and downward. As he pressed the button to engage his electromagnetic boots, he felt himself pulled the last foot toward the deck.

  “Not a problem, Commander. I remember seeing the external hatch for the bay, so if you don’t mind, I’ll lead.”

  “That’s even better, Captain Young. This adventure is wearing thin for me.”

  Young just nodded as he began to walk briskly toward the way they had come. As his magnetic boots hit the metal with each step, the sensation of shock traveled up his thigh to where the legs connected to the body of his suit.

  The stroll through the dead ship was quiet other than the sound of the flap in the oxygen mask opening as air was inhaled, then popping as air was exhaled. The walls continued to make Young feel claustrophobic, and he fought to control his breath as he hurried to find the ship’s bay.

  “Here we are,” he said, thinking, Now we can take a quick peek and get the hell out of here. The hatchway was partially open, so it was easy to squeeze through. The bay was empty of ships, but huge crates were stacked high all the way around it.

  “These crates weren’t here during the battle. They’d be all over the place,” Poland pointed out. “I think we found a smuggler’s transshipment point. Taking advantage of the religious beliefs of the locals. We’re going to have to check this out.”

  Each of the containers was a three-foot square. Poland estimated there had to be ten thousand of them. As he inspected one, the label kept changing color when he tried to decipher the printing.

  “Beater, can you interpret the meaning of these labels?” Poland asked as he looked for a way to open the container.

  “Commander Poland, the containers are loaded with explosives. The label is a standard galactic warning label. There are two most likely reasons for the explosives being here. The first is for the mining operation in an asteroid field one hour from here. The other possibility is an uprising on one of the nearby planets. I recommend against opening any containers, in case they’ve been tampered with.”

  Poland gently placed the container back on its stack and turned to Young. “I’ve had enough adventure for today. Do you want to see anything else?” He began to imagine all of the possible booby traps on the wreck.

  “No. I’m happy to end my adventure for the day, too. Let’s get the hell out of here. I’ll take point.” Young replied, turning back toward the passageway.

  It’s about time. I thought he might find some new way to get us killed here, Poland said to himself.

  Neither man spoke on the way back, both eager to get off the wreck. They were less than a hundred feet from the hatchway when they detected motion in the shadows slightly beyond their lights.

  “Looks like we have company,” Young whispered, trying to press himself into the bulkhead. Poland copied his actions. Both of them had their modified beamers in their hands, safeties off.

  “Beater, do you detect anyone else on the ship besides us?” Young commed. “We’re seeing movement ah
ead of us, near the hatchway to the shuttle.”

  “There is no activity by the hatchway other than the droids that evaluated the ship. They are waiting to return to the shuttle. The only movement they are detecting is you and Commander Poland.” Young holstered his weapon and proceeded toward the hatchway. Poland followed close behind.

  Entering the shuttle and watching the indicator show that full atmosphere was achieved was the high point for Young as he ripped off his helmet and enjoyed the feel of cool air against his sweaty face.

  Back on board the Beater, Poland and Johnson discussed their plan one last time, looking for any flaws. “Beater, there will be no problem attaching auxiliary thrusters to the wrecked patrol ship and then launching it at the Gipe home world, correct?” Johnson asked.

  “The thrusters are being attached now, Captain Johnson. The last of the thrusters will be installed and configured in three hours. It will take one day of travel at max impulse for the ship to get to the Gipe home world.”

  “Good. So in twenty-seven hours the Gipe are in for a little surprise. The Dart will be ready when we attack Finey in twenty-four hours? Hopefully we can draw them off the planet toward Gipe. By that time the Gipe will be on their way to Finey, and we can just disappear before they meet each other.”

  “The Dart will only have basic maneuvering. It is partially operational, so it can be launched with the automatic pilot navigating it to Finey. Suggest a Gipe cadaver be put inside the flight deck. Since the religious beliefs of both sides call for them to avoid the dead, they would not notice the cadaver is old after the ship is destroyed.”

  “I like that, Beater. The pilot gets one last shot at his last enemy. Sort of poetic,” Johnson said, happy at the prospect of the raid setting the two planets at war with each other. “As soon as we have the thrusters ready, launch the ship toward Gipe. Be sure to put a tracker on it so we can monitor its progress. I want to know for sure when it hits or gets destroyed by their forces.”

  Gray Panthers headquarters, Arizona

  23 November 2128

  “Well, Dan, looks like your idea to use droids in the shipyards alongside the workers is even better than we anticipated. Instead of January, the ships in Korea and Japan will be ready in December. The shipyards in the other countries will be ready in late December to early January. We’ll have one hell of a fleet.” Abby was happy to give the good news to his boss.

  “That’s outstanding. I don’t think there will be any use for the ships now, but keep cracking the whip to get them built as soon as possible.”

  “Why do you think we won’t need them, Dan?”

  “I think things are escalating to the point that everything will be over in December. The Libra are going to escalate as soon as they discover they’re losing the Jacka mercenaries. They may try to take the Fire Warriors out before they’re ready. We need to get the rest of the repaired Libra ships to them.

  “I think we’ll be safe here with the new Abby Artillery and minefields,” Dan continued. “We need to ensure, though, that we have nothing to fear from the Libra, and that depends on the Jacka.”

  Arizona Space Ship Beater, in Libra space

  22 November 2128

  Captain Johnson and his crew watched the transmissions they were receiving from the derelict patrol ship as it continued to close in on the Gipe home world.

  Numerous ships surrounded the patrol ship as it continued on its way. They began to fire on the derelict ship, with no results.

  “I wish we could have set up some defensive capabilities for that ship. It would have given it a better chance at getting through. It looks like it’s doing the job, though,” Captain Young observed. “Beater, what’s the delay between transmission and our reception?”

  “Delay is only five minutes, Captain.”

  “Go ahead and send the transmission to blow up the cargo. We might get lucky and take out a couple ships. Launch our Darts now.”

  As Andrews sat in his Dart waiting for the signal, he began to worry about all the possibilities.

  “Dart Flight, you are go for launch. Good luck.”

  Andrews immediately went into action, thankful for something to do. “Dart Flight, Dart One, prepare to launch. After launch we will form up on the remote-control Dart. We are only a couple hours out from Finey, so everything is a target.”

  Andrews followed the remote-controlled Dart, scanning the space around them. The path appeared clear.

  Gipe cruiser Starburst, Gipe home world space

  22 November 2128

  The senator stood next to the admiral on the ship’s bridge, concern apparent in her eyes. “Admiral Tonk, what do you think the meaning of the attack was?” she asked.

  “I have no idea, Senator. I think it would be a good idea to jump to the Finey home world to see what they have to say before less-cool heads decide to attack without any thought.”

  “I commend you, Admiral, for your superior intellect. I give you my authorization as a senator to go forth on this mission. May we find only peace as our reward.”

  “Helmsman, set course for the Finey home world. Attack officer, prepare the ship for battle. Jump the ship.” Admiral Tonk instructed. He took a last look at the carnage from the space battle and wondered what they would find on Finey.

  Dart Flight, near the Finey home world

  22 November 2128

  Suzy Hagen was finally going to lead her own ships and was excited at the thought. “Dart Flight, Dart One, looks like we have a bunch of targets ahead. Everything looks civilian. Dart Three, take half the Flight and start shooting up the heavy transports while we stay with the surprise,” she instructed. “Darts Four, Five, and Six, this is Dart Three. Form on me in trail formation.”

  Looking at the way the ships were dispersed, Hagen rethought her plans. “Dart Six, form on Dart Five. Dart Five, take out the targets on our starboard side.” Okay. Now it’s time to play, she thought as she pushed her fighter down and to port, lining up on a large cargo ship.

  “Dart Four, we’re going in line abreast. Form up on my three o’clock now. Commence firing when I fire. Keep an eye out for hostiles. Beamers only. Save guns for later.”

  Hagen fired but saw she was too close, managing to fire off only a short burst before having to pull up. She saw another cargo ship ahead and reduced speed to give herself more shooting time. The center of the ship turned red as her beam continued to fire on it. To the right, an identical red spot was growing where her wingman was firing. She checked to her left in time to see a small missile just as her warning screen showed the threat.

  She pushed her throttles to max and dove toward her target. As she glanced to her right, she saw that her wingman was tight on her. Proceeding under the target, the pair pulled up and to port.

  “Dart Flight, keep your eyes open,” she cautioned. “We have a missile launcher on one of the ships, so there may be more. Dart Three out.”

  Hagen launched a new attack on the ship ahead of her when she saw it launch missiles. Changing weapons from beamer only to beamer and guns, she tried to target the missiles as her wingman copied her actions. The 40mm shells took out the missiles and she directed all of her weapons on the ship.

  “Dart Four, let’s take this bitch out!” Hagen stopped her forward movement, rocking her ship left and right as she fired. Parts of the ship exploded outward. Dart Four connected with the missile porthole as a large explosion tore off a small portion of the ship.

  Andrews monitored the action behind him as he waited for the enemy to come up from the surface of the planet. Directly ahead, a pair of small destroyers dropped into normal space, and Andrews knew it was time to go.

  “Dart Flight, Dart One, time to vacate immediately,” he advised. “We have two destroyers that just dropped out of FTL space. Dart Three, take your formation and withdraw toward rendezvous point.”

  Andrews banked hard and checked to make sure his flight was with him as the remote-controlled Dart headed on toward the planet. To his chagri
n, cargo ships they had passed earlier were now firing lasers and missiles.

  “We don’t have time to play with these guys. If you have a shot, take it, but do not slow down,” he ordered. “Any time now, those destroyers are going to figure out they can jump in front of us. Now let’s beat feet!” He was sweating hard and felt cold.

  The scanner revealed the other formation of Darts in the distance making a clean escape as a huge new target appeared before them.

  Gipe cruiser Starburst, Finey home world space

  22 November 2128

  “Attack stations all ready, Admiral.”

  “Very good. Now we can find out what’s going on. Drop the ship to regular space.”

  “Admiral, signs of battle ahead. We have four of our interceptors behind us fleeing the battle and four more retreating toward us.”

  “Interceptor flight, identify yourselves.” What is going on? the Admiral thought, waiting for an answer.

  Andrews saw part of the fighter’s original secure communications panel light up, and then he received the message. Praying that his translator would translate his reply, he pressed the button to talk.

  “Alert. Alert. Two Finey destroyers ambushed our diplomatic mission. The ship with our entire delegation was killed. They fired on the pods as they escaped the ship. The destroyers are right behind us. The ambassador’s last words were, “We are at war—”

  The two Finey destroyers came out of FTL space as the cruiser turned to port, launching all missiles and firing all lasers as the destroyers returned fire.

  “All weapons target the center of the first destroyer. Then we’ll target the second ship,” Admiral Tonk ordered. This is as it should be, he thought, watching the destroyer begin to break apart as his attack officer redirected weapons and fired toward the other ship.