by Jay Toney
Devon changed the starship's transponder codes to match the Goliath. If they were seen by the Ajax during its approach, the codes broadcast by the Queen Anne's Revenge's transponder would tell the heavy cruiser that we are a super freighter. The Queenie's drives operating at minimum power would not give away our ship being equipped with military-grade engines.
We did not enter orbit around Antares IV. Instead, Natasha altered our course to the first of the planet's six moons. Three small communications satellites were placed in orbit around the moon. They are small satellites, commonly used by rockhoppers as relay stations between them and their ship, or base of operations.
After launching the satellites, we proceeded to each of the remaining moons and did the same. No matter where we are around the planet, we have a way of communicating without worrying about comm blackouts. It also gave us a way to monitor comm signals and to relay sensor signals from the Queenie's bridge to our Marauders.
The Queen Anne's Revenge made a final maneuver that brought it into a close orbit around the fourth moon. Doc hoped that the moon is on the opposite side of the planet from the Ajax when it made its approach. Devon silenced the starship's transponders, and Natasha opened the missile tubes, powered the energy shields, and charged the weapon batteries. All of the emergency bulkheads and hatches are closed and sealed in preparation for battle. The cruiser's weapon turrets are manned. Doc's ship is as ready for action as he can make it.
So far, there was no sign of the Ajax. Doc took advantage of the time he still had to lead his two squadrons of Marauders to the surface of Antares. He didn't go directly to the starport or the capital city that is located only a short distance from it. He led his team to the mountains surrounding the city.
The mountains east of the city are dormant volcanoes. There is still some volcanic activity feeding natural hot springs. More importantly, the metal-rich ground and the energy that still registered from the volcanoes is more than enough to make detection of the Marauders difficult.
The starfighters spread out so as not to give their location away with a large anomalous concentration of metal and energy from their rectors. Trees covering the mountainside helped to camouflage the Marauders. Doc and his team waited, listening for comm chatter, and watching the passive sensor scans from the Queen Anne's Revenge.
They didn't wait long. Two days after there arrival on Antares IV, sensor scans relayed from the Queen Anne's Revenge showed an energy signature caused by a large starship entering the solar system. Doc is sure it was created by the Ajax exiting hyperspace. Captain Thornton is right on schedule.
At maximum deceleration, it will take the Ajax three days to enter orbit. The radiation signature from the drive plume suggests that Captain Thornton is in a hurry to get here and start the Alliance takeover of Antares. His cruiser is decelerating at minimum power, coming in fast, waiting until he got closer before decelerating hard. It is a mistake that will leave his crew fatigued fore they reached Antares.
No calls are made to Doc's starship. Natasha already has her orders. She is to wait and allow the Ajax to enter orbit. The AI isn't to reveal the presence of the Queen Anne's Revenge until after Thornton is dealt with. Doc plans on making him suffer by taking his command and his life, but not too fast. Doc wants to make Thornton feel every bit of pain that he felt since his wife's murder. His death wouldn't come before Doc is satisfied with Thornton's suffering.
The cruiser finally arrived in orbit. It didn't send down its gunships or shuttles. Instead, it made a complete orbit, scanning the planet's surface and local area. It didn't spot the Queen Anne's Revenge. The starship stayed hidden, keeping the moon it orbited between it and the Ajax.
Doc used the time to get ready. He put on a fresh flight suit, donned his helmet, and sat in the pilot seat and watched the Marauder's sensor display unit (SDU).
It was another hour before the Ajax launched its gunships. Doc's team didn't launch yet. If they did the gunships would have the advantage. He needed to wait until he could get the high ground. He spent the time listening to the comm chatter from the Alliance gunships and staring at the tactical display screen.
Thirteen symbols, representing gunships, descended from a single red icon in orbit, the Ajax. One of the gunships had to be Thornton, but which one? Most Alliance commanders tended to command their people from the safety of the rear of the formation, that, or they stayed safe aboard their capital warship. Doc didn't think Thornton would do that. He is pretty sure that he will be leading the charge. The Alliance captain proved himself to be brash, not to mention a pompous ass, during their first meeting. Doc locked the lead gunship into his targeting computer. Even if the targeting computer lost the lock on the ship, it could easily single out the gunship by using its transponder signal.
The formation of gunships dropped behind the mountain ridge that separated the city from the countryside. They are low enough. They still had the advantage of having the high ground, but by the time Doc's wing is airborne and spotted, the slight edge would be too little to matter.
Doc fired up the engines and repulsorlift. He took a few seconds to send two burst messages to the rest of the pilots in his wing. The first simply said, "Attack!" The second said, "He's mine," and included the transponder information for Thornton's gunship.
Twenty-five Marauders launched skyward, gaining altitude and speed as they headed to intercept the Alliance gunships. The gunships aborted their landing and turned to attack the Nighthawk and Reaper squadrons. The Marauders broke into pairs and locked onto their targets.
Doc locked onto Thornton's gunship. Lights and buzzing from his Marauders comm system alerted Doc to an incoming message. He activated his comm. Captain Thornton's voice demanded that the Antares defense force surrender. He didn't realize who is after him. He will find out soon enough. Doc silenced his comm unit and advanced the starfighter's throttles.
Gunners from the gunship targeted Doc's Marauder and fired. Doc spun out of the incoming weapon fire. His finger hovered over the trigger, but Doc hesitated. A missile would be too quick. He changed the weapon select on the MFD (multifunction display) to particle beams. His gun turret locked on the gunship, and Doc fired. Red bolts of energy struck the gunship. Its energy shields weakened, but it deflected the particle beams.
The gunship rolled into a split-s. Doc didn't follow the assault shuttle. He pulled back on his Marauder's controls and did a ventricle climb. Doc pulled the throttles back and let the starfighter stall. He fired his starboard thruster to nose the Marauder over into a steep dive. He switched to guns and fired them instinctively. Captain Thornton flew into the gunfire. Several 40mm rounds pierced the hull of his gunship, but it held together.
Doc lined up for another burst from his guns, opened his ship's speed brakes, and fired again. Smoke poured out of one of the gunship's engines. Its gunners locked on Doc's Marauder and fired. Doc tried spinning out of the fire, but sever rounds caught his port wing and sheared it off. Doc fought for control. He retracted his starboard wing to help balance his flight. While he was regaining control, Captain Thornton's gunners fired again. Doc's starfighter was hit again, but it is still flyable.
Doc put his fighter into a dive. Captain Thornton turned to follow. He fired two missiles at Doc's Marauder. Doc cut his throttles and fired chaff and flares to confuse the missiles. The rockets locked onto the heat from the flares and detonated a safe distance behind the Marauder. Doc engaged the repulsorlift engines and advanced the throttles to break the fall. He pulled into a steep climb and fired his cannons into the belly of the Alliance gunship. It burst into flames. Three people ejected from the burning gunship. Doc targeted them with his particle beam cannons and fired. He felt regret for killing the helpless soldiers, but if the situation were reversed, they would be using him for target practice.
Captain
Thornton's gunship, spiraled down to the surface of Antares. There was no way that he could make it to the spaceport or the city. He headed to the same valley Doc and the rest of the Reapers and Nighthawks used to hide from him. Doc has the advantages of having a flyable starfighter and knowing the area that Captain Thornton would be landing in.
Doc followed the disabled gunship down. Its engines had been shut down, and the ship is in a steep glide with no power to maneuver. Doc hopes that Thornton survives the crash landing. Dying in the crash would be too good for him. The gunship hit the ground and skidded across the surface. Doc landed his Marauder, shut down its engines, and exited his starfighter.
The gunship came to a stop, and the cockpit canopy is jettisoned. Black smoke poured out of the open cockpit. A lone figure wearing a black flight suit and helmet climbed out of the cockpit and dropped to the ground. The pilot removed his helmet, and let it fall to the ground. Then he turned to Doc. "You!" Captain Thornton said pulling his blaster from its holster.
Captain Thornton wasn't fast enough. Doc drew his blaster and fired in a single, smooth motion. The energy bolt from his blaster hit Thornton's blaster. Elaunae's killer dropped the hot, smoking blaster to the ground. It is useless with its power cell burned out. "A lucky shot," Captain Thornton said to Doc.
"Not so lucky, I wasn't aiming for your gun," Doc answered Thornton.
The captain taunted Doc Roberts, "Well, I'm waiting. Aren't you going to finish me?"
"I am, but not so fast. I want to savor your death. I intend to make it last as long as I can. Draw your sword," Doc told his enemy. Captain Thornton drew his energy sword and activated its blade. A red glowing energy blade extended one meter from its hilt. "You are a bigger fool than I thought you were. For the life of me, I can't see why Alliance Command let you live this long," Captain Thornton goaded Doc.
Doc ignored the insult. He slid his blaster into its holster and pulled his energy sword from his belt. Captain Thornton charged before Captain Roberts activated his blade. Doc stood his ground. He pressed the button that activates the energy blade and swung it to block the blow from Thornton's weapon. Blue and red sparks showered the two fighters. The two energy swords fought to overpower each other.
Captain Thornton broke contact then lunged at Doc's head. Doc ducked under the blade and swung at Thornton's gut. The Alliance captain blocked the blow and swung low at Doc's legs. Doc jumped back avoiding the strike, and then he hacked at Thornton's left shoulder. The captain brought his blade up to block the blow. He is sweating now, and Doc sees the fear in his eyes. He already has the Alliance captain beat, but he isn't going to let it end early. He wants his wife's killer to suffer, for days if possible.
Captain Thornton lunged at Doc. Doc, blocked the blow and swung at his enemy. The blade got past Thornton's guard and sliced open his right arm. Doc pressed the attack. Captain Thornton is barely able to defend himself using his left arm. Surrender isn't an option for the Alliance captain. He knew that Doc Roberts would slice him to bits a piece at a time to satisfy his need for vengeance if he did. Captain Thornton made a savage swing at Doc's head, hoping to decapitate him with the desperate move. Doc spun low under Thornton's swing and spun swinging his blade low. The energy blade sliced through Captain Thornton's legs, just above his knees. The heat from the energy sword's blade seared the flesh as it passed through muscle, skin, and bone. Captain Thornton fell onto his back, helpless.
Doc could have ended the life of the helpless captain if he wanted to. He wasn't through with his wife's killer yet. He wants to make him suffer for what he did to Elaunae. He waited for nearly a year for this chance, and he is going to savor his revenge. Doc deactivated his blade and picked up Thornton's energy sword. He turned it off and tossed it away from the stunned captain. "Finish it!" The captain demanded Doc Roberts.
"Not so fast," Doc told his enemy. "You haven't suffered enough." He pulled Elaunae's obsidian knife from his belt. It looked primitive but is as sharp as any scalpel. He rolled the Alliance officer onto his side, and then he used the knife to cut away the left leg of the flight suit and carefully slice open Captain Thornton's left leg from his hip to the stump where his leg was amputated. He carefully avoided opening the femoral veins and arteries. Then he removed a pouch of white powder from his pocket and sprinkled it on the wound. Captain Thornton screamed in agony. While Doc is working, he explained, "I spent the last year studying medicine, my wife's journals, and practicing surgery with Dr. Marcus. I've learned a lot and plan on demonstrating some of what I've learned. Distiny does wonders for controlling bleeding, but I'm afraid it doesn't do anything to stop the pain." Doc removed another pouch from his pocket. "This pouch contains coarse ground sodium chloride. It is primitive like distiny, but it is very effective. He poured some of the salt into his right palm. Then he began squeezing and crushing the salt into the exposed sciatic nerve. Captain Thornton screamed until he lost consciousness.
Doc slapped his wife's killer until he regained consciousness. "Don't leave me yet. I'm not finished with you. I still have the other leg to do, and then I have something special for you." Doc cut away the other leg of the flight suit, and then he began carving on the Alliance captain's other leg,. Captain Thornton obliged Doc by screaming while he worked.
Doc waited for Captain Thornton to regain consciousness. "I'm not through with you yet. I've had my vengeance. Now it is time for Elaunae to have hers."
"Kill me! Blast you!" Captain Thornton yelled at Doc.
"Not yet." Doc rolled the captain back onto his back. He used his wife's knife to open the front of the Captain's flight suit. Then he used it to carefully slice open his belly. He cut through the layers of flesh carefully exposing the abdominal lining. Then he cut through that too. Doc removed a tin from his pocket, opened it, and showed its wiggling contents to Thornton. Doc explained, "These are boreworms. In case you haven't heard of them, they are a parasite commonly found in the polluted waters here on Antares and other worlds. They get their name from what they do inside of you. They tunnel their way through your body feeding on you. They are hard to get rid of once they infect you. Each worm has to be surgically removed. That is not the worst part. When they reach maturity, they lay eggs, and when the eggs hatch, their young swim in your bloodstream until the worms reach the brain, and then they feed on it. I understand that it is a painful and horrible way to die that sometimes takes months." Doc emptied the contents of the tin into Captain Thornton's abdomen. "That will give you something to think about while I finish up."
Doc used his wife's knife to cut away what is left of the flight suit, "You are a monster!" Captain Thornton yelled at Doc.
"Yes, I am, but it is you that created me." Doc took his wife's knife and began slowly sawing through Captain Thornton's scrotum and testicles. He didn't stop there. He continued slicing until the penis is severed too. Doc didn't want Captain Thornton bleeding out. He poured what was left of the salt on the wound to inflict more pain. Then he poured what was left of the distiny powder onto Thornton's crotch to stop the bleeding.
"I regret that I can't stick around to watch you die, but I don't have the time. The Ajax is in orbit, and I intend to destroy it."
"You can't leave me like this!" Captain Thornton pleaded with Doc.
"I can, and I will, but don't worry. The scavengers will be along shortly to finish you off and pick your bones clean. I'm afraid there won't be much left of you to bury." Doc turned away and walked to his Marauder.
"I'll see you in hell! I'll have my revenge," Captain Thornton promised Captain Roberts.
Doc's starfighter is damaged, and won't hold air. He lifted off anyhow. His flight suit and helmet will protect him long enough to reach the Queen Anne's Revenge.
****
"He's still alive. Get the medics here now! Someone mutilated Captain Thor
nton and left him for dead. We have to get him back to the Ajax to save his life."
****
Doc landed his Marauder in the Queen Anne's Revenge's shuttle bay. He waited patiently for the hangar doors to close, and the hangar to pressurize before disconnecting his flight suit's air hoses from his starfighter. He exited his starfighter and entered one of the hangar's lifts. Doc rode the elevator up to deck one and then headed forward to the bridge.
Doc arrived on the bridge in time to see the Ajax leaving orbit. "Announce all hands prepare for battle," Doc ordered Devon. Next, he ordered Natasha, "After them. I want that ship destroyed." The Queen Anne's Revenge accelerated at maximum power to intercept the Ajax. Devon added the tactical display to the forward view on the main viewscreen, and Natasha began calculating missile solutions.
****
"We need Captain Thornton on the bridge now!" Commander Ellison ordered his chief medical officer.
"You are going to have to get us out of here on your own. Whoever tortured the captain and left him to die, messed him up good. He will never walk again, at least with legs. Maybe I can do something with cybernetics. His sciatic nerves are destroyed. Even with nerve and tissue regeneration, new legs will never work. The synapses and receptors for motor function in his brain are dead. The pain centers were overwhelmed to the point where the captain's mind erased the connections. I don't know if he still has his sanity or even if he will ever regain consciousness."
"I need him conscious and on the bridge now, or all of us are going to die!" Commander Ellison turned away from his comm screen and began ordering the crew to battle stations. There is no way to outrun the cruiser closing in on them without a fight. He is prepared to die fighting even though he knows that this is going to be a battle he cannot win.