The Star Cross

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Demonstrate your willingness to do as I ask first,” countered Kurt.

  Grantz leaned back and ran his right hand through the coarse white hair that covered his head. “Very well,” he said. “As we approach the star cluster that contains the Gothan Empire, your fleet needs to be on guard. Word of what High Profiteer Creed discovered will have spread through the empire by now. Others will seek your world and attempt to intercept any convoys inbound toward the cluster.”

  “You would rob from your own people?” Captain Randson gasped, his eyes widening at this concept.

  “Some of the smaller Profiteer fleets would,” responded Grantz, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s just how things are done. The larger fleets will recognize Creed’s claim to your world and will not interfere.”

  “We need to emerge from hyperspace before we enter the cluster,” Andrew said, responding to Grantz’s words. “We’ll also have to drop out of hyperspace several more times once we’re in the cluster, as the star density will preclude us from jumping straight to Kubitz.”

  “Is there any place in the cluster that will be safer than others?” asked Kurt, looking at Grantz.

  His eyes were still focused on the bar of gold.

  “No,” replied Grantz, shaking his head. “The smaller fleets, when not out on raiding missions, normally patrol the cluster, seeking small unescorted ships or convoys.”

  “We can hold our dropout times to a minimum,” suggested Andrew. “Compute our next hyperspace jump and leave as quickly as possible.”

  “How long will it take to compute the jumps?”

  “Twenty to thirty minutes at the most.”

  “What type of weapons will these ships be armed with?” asked Kurt. He had hoped to reach Kubitz without being involved in a battle, particularly with the Newton Princess and the Lansing along. Both ships were lightly armed and were being equipped with rudimentary energy shields.

  “Same as High Profiteer Creed’s ships,” Grantz answered promptly. “Ion beams, energy projectors, and hypermissiles for the most part.”

  “What’s a hypermissile?” asked Andrew.

  “It has a miniature hyperspace drive which can be activated once it exits the firing tube. The missile will enter hyperspace and won’t stop until it strikes its target. Either an energy shield or a ship’s hull. If it strikes nothing after a given amount of time, the missile will drop from hyperspace and self-destruct.”

  “What about other weapons?” asked Andrew. “Do any of the other worlds in the Gothan Empire use different weapons than these?”

  “Direct energy cannons,” Grantz said uneasily. “They’re more expensive and take a very powerful energy source. For that reason they’re mostly found on mercenary ships, particularly those used by the Dacroni.”

  “What happens when we reach Kubitz?” asked Kurt. He wanted as much information as possible about what they were getting into.

  Grantz’s brow furrowed as he thought over the question. “Kubitz maintains a large fleet of what you would call police craft. They patrol out to the sixth planet and will intercept any ship that enters the quarantine zone without permission. They have a large fleet of powerfully equipped battleships at Kubitz, which they can call upon if necessary.”

  “So we can’t jump in close to Kubitz?” asked Andrew.

  “No. Ships are not allowed to jump inside the orbit of the sixth planet. Most ships exit hyperspace between the orbits of the sixth and seventh planet near the Controller space station.”

  “What’s the Controller space station?” asked Kurt. Grantz was telling them a lot of information he hadn’t mentioned before.

  “I was going to tell you once we neared the Kubitz System,” Grantz answered. “All inbound ships must register with the station before proceeding to the inner system. A fee will be assessed for each ship. Ships can stay out near the station to conduct their business or, for a higher fee, can proceed into orbit over Kubitz. The space above the planet will be packed with ships from all over the galaxy.”

  Kurt nodded, satisfied with the answers Grantz had given. “I’ll have the guards removed from the door of your quarters. You’re free to roam the ship but stay out of restricted areas.” Kurt paused for a moment and then slid the small bar of gold across the table to Grantz, who quickly picked it up. “It’s yours, plus more where that came from, if you continue to show your value to this mission. And that means no withholding of information.”

  Grantz nodded, as he gazed down at the bar of yellow gold in his hand. He hefted it, and a broad smile spread across his face. “With me to advise you, I promise that your mission will be a success.”

  “See that it is,” Kurt responded, as he and Andrew turned and left the room.

  -

  “Ready for departure,” reported Captain Randson bringing Kurt’s attention back to the present. “The Newton Princess, the cargo ship Lansing, and the light cruisers Sydney and Dallas are in formation.”

  Kurt nodded. The Newton Princess was a large passenger liner, which could bring back any captive humans they could free. Also a handpicked First Contact team from the exploration cruisers was on board. The Lansing carried some very valuable cargo—a portion of the gold brought from Earth. The remaining portion, a good part of the gold, platinum, and other precious metals and stones, was in a new secure hidden vault on Newton, under heavy guard. The Lansing would also be used to bring back any weapons they managed to procure.

  “Break orbit and proceed outward at 10 percent sublight,” ordered Kurt, leaning back in his command chair, anxious to get this mission started.

  On another of the screens, he could see Newton Station. It was much larger than it had been in the past. The construction bay and manufacturing section taken from the shipyard above Earth had been added. In addition, work had already commenced on the large flight bay that would eventually house the station’s fighters and bombers.

  “Rear Admiral Wilson is wishing us the best of luck,” reported Ensign Brenda Pierce from Communications.

  Wilson had been promoted to rear admiral and would be in charge of the fleet while Kurt was gone. He had formerly commanded one of the fleet’s battlecruisers but had been on leave on Earth when the Profiteers had originally attacked. Kurt had been relieved to have someone with Wilson’s experience available to step into the rear admiral position. The Kepler would serve as Wilson’s flagship.

  “Put the Kepler on the main viewscreen,” ordered Kurt.

  Instantly the 1,200-meter-long battlecarrier appeared. The Kepler had a crew of 1,400 and held 80 Scorpion bombers and 120 Lance fighters in her large twin flight bays.

  “Damn, that’s a big ship,” commented Andrew, as he looked appreciatively at the battlecarrier.

  “Big enough so the Profiteers will regret ever coming to the Newton System, if and when they show up,” Kurt said. He could see several small groups of Lance fighters flying in formation around the ship as part of its normal CSP.

  In the distance, he could see the smaller carriers, the Dante and the Vindication.

  One of the reasons he had waited so long to leave for the Profiteer’s Gothan Empire was to allow for the Kepler to be finished and the repairs to the Dante to be done. The crews on the station had worked around the clock to finish everything, which was a lot considering all that had to be done to the small carrier Dante. They had accomplished a miracle in repairing it so quickly.

  “The system should be safe until we return.”

  “With our kidnapped people,” Andrew said in a firm and determined voice.

  Kurt knew it had been difficult for Andrew these last few weeks, not knowing what had happened to his wife and daughter.

  “We’ll find Emily and Alexis,” promised Kurt. His XO had been greatly concerned about his missing family. “We’ll bring them all back.”

  “Do you trust Grantz?” asked Andrew, raising his eyebrow. “All of this depends on the Profiteer to guide us, once we reach the Gothan Empire.”

  “He’ll
do what’s in his contract,” Kurt answered. He had dwelled on this considerably. “Plus he’s anxious to receive the gold we’ve promised him.”

  “An entire culture based on greed and thievery,” muttered Andrew, shaking his head. “This Gothan Empire is like something out of Earth’s past.”

  “The Barbary pirates,” suggested Kurt. “They raided from North Africa for several centuries until most nations paid them a tribute to allow their ships to pass by unmolested. Two small wars were fought between the United States and the pirates, which finally ended their threat to American shippers. This Gothan Empire seems to be the modern-day Barbary pirates but on a much larger scale.”

  As he spoke, the Star Cross and her fleet broke orbit, and accelerated away from the planet. On the viewscreens, the planet Newton, the Kepler, and Newton Station rapidly dwindled.

  “Hyperdrive is charged,” reported Ensign Charles Styles from the Helm. “Course is laid in.”

  “All ships report ready to enter hyperspace,” added Ensign Pierce.

  Kurt took a deep breath. He looked longingly at Newton, now nearly two hundred thousand kilometers away. He had told his sister good-bye the night before and had even spoken to Bryan for a few minutes, promising to bring the six-year-old something from this new adventure.

  “Take the fleet into hyperspace,” he ordered. It was time to go to the Gothan Empire.

  -

  Ten days later, Kurt and Captain Randson sat down once more in a secure briefing room with Profiteer Grantz.

  “What kind of defenses does Kubitz have?” asked Kurt. He felt uneasy about taking his ships in close to the planet considering how many unknown ships would be in orbit.

  “The most powerful in the galaxy,” boasted Grantz, his eyes lighting up. “A full-scale orbital defense system, with battleships, and planet-based defensive and offensive weapons. I once heard High Profiteer Creed say that Kubitz by itself could hold off any one of the major galactic powers.”

  “Is there any reason they would attack us or allow other Profiteers to try to take our ships?”

  “No, the Controllers won’t permit it,” Grantz said in a serious tone. “Once you arrive at the outer Controller station and have declared your intent to trade, no attacks against competitors are allowed. Your ships fall under the protection of the Kubitz government. Of course no ships are allowed to discharge a weapon or fire a missile once the fee has been paid.”

  “What happens if someone does?” asked Andrew.

  “I saw it once a number of years ago,” Grantz admitted, as his large eyes narrowed, recalling the incident. “Two of the smaller rival Profiteer fleets were having a dispute over a cargo ship that both claimed. One ship fired on another, and, before anyone else could respond, the Kubitz defense grid activated. The offending ship was blown from space, and the breaching Profiteer fleet eventually had all its ships confiscated. There hasn’t been an incident since.”

  “Any other surprises you haven’t mentioned?” asked Kurt.

  “No,” Grantz answered.

  “Very well, you can go,” Kurt said. He watched as Grantz stood up and left the room.

  “What do you think?” asked Andrew. “Can we trust him?”

  “I think so,” answered Kurt, thinking about what the Profiteer had said. “The gold and our contract filed with the Controllers will see to that.”

  -

  Two days later, the Star Cross and her small fleet dropped from hyperspace into a small star system just short of the Gothan star cluster.

  “Report!” ordered Fleet Admiral Vickers, as he gazed anxiously at the tactical display and the viewscreens. The screens quickly cleared, showing a scattering of unfamiliar stars.

  “Sensors are clear in our immediate area,” answered Lieutenant Brooks. She pressed several icons on her computer screen. “Beginning long-range scans.”

  “Keep the fleet at Condition One, until we’re ready to jump,” Kurt ordered. “Ensign Pierce, contact the Newton Princess and inform Captain Mertz that he can send the shuttle with the First Contact team.” The First Contact team had requested to sit down with Grantz to discuss in more detail what would be occurring at Kubitz and also to learn more about the Controllers. They had already met with Grantz several times in the past before the fleet had left Newton, as well as talked to him numerous times over the ship’s comm.

  A few moments later, Lieutenant Brooks turned toward the admiral. “Shuttle has departed the Newton Princess. It should be docking in seven to eight minutes. Long-range scans are showing no unknown contacts.”

  Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “Take the fleet to Condition Two until further notice.”

  “We are fortunate no Profiteers were waiting for us,” commented Grantz, who had been called to the Command Center for this dropout from hyperspace. “I suspect there are numerous small fleets on this side of the cluster, hoping to locate one of High Profiteer Creed’s cargo ships.”

  “Surely he will have a powerful escort with any ships he sends back?” said Captain Randson.

  “He should,” answered Grantz. “That’s one of the reasons he hired the Dacroni mercenaries. Their battleships will make for a dangerous escort to any small Profiteer fleet looking for a quick profit.”

  “Shuttle is docking,” Captain Randson reported. “It will be returning to the Newton Princess shortly. We should be able to reenter hyperspace in twelve to fifteen minutes.”

  -

  The minutes slowly passed. On one of the viewscreens, the shuttle that had brought over the First Contact team returned to the Newton Princess and entered its small flight bay.

  “Contacts!” Lieutenant Brooks suddenly called out. “Twelve million kilometers. Detecting scans!”

  “They just dropped from hyperspace,” uttered Captain Randson, as he looked at the tactical display, now displaying the unknown ships. “They’re way outside of weapons range.”

  “They’ll locate us shortly,” warned Grantz, while he studied the red threat icons on the tactical screen and the data displayed. “It looks like a small Profiteer fleet. Their biggest ship will be an escort cruiser.”

  “Four ships all around six hundred meters in length,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks, as she checked the information from the sensor scans.

  “Prepare for combat,” ordered Kurt, leaning forward in his command chair. He had hoped to leave this system without detection.

  Alarms sounded, and red lights flashed as the Command Center came alive with intense activity while the crew prepared for possible battle.

  “They’ve detected us,” warned Lieutenant Brooks. “I’m reading active sensor scans. The four contacts have turned in our direction and are accelerating on an intercept course.”

  “Jump coordinates are locked in, and the hyperdrive is fully charged,” reported Ensign Styles. “We can enter hyperspace at any time.”

  “All ships reporting ready to jump,” added Ensign Pierce from Communications.

  “Take us into hyperspace,” ordered Kurt. At least this would be one battle they could avoid.

  “Entering hyperspace,” confirmed Ensign Styles, as he activated the ship’s hyperdrive.

  Kurt felt a momentary wrenching sensation, and then the red threat icons on the tactical screen vanished. His fleet was safe for now, but they would have to drop from hyperspace twice more before they reached their destination.

  -

  Kurt sat in his quarters behind his desk. They would shortly be dropping from hyperspace again, and he wanted to catch up on a little paperwork before that happened. He was tempted to go to the briefing room, where the First Contact team was locked away with Grantz. He allowed himself to smile briefly. The very concept of a culture based on profits and thievery was almost unbelievable, at least in modern times. The Gothan Empire, to put it in simple terms, was nothing more than a collection of pirates.

  Looking down at the reports on his desk, he let out a deep sigh. Fuel usage, consumables usage, status of spare parts—the lists went on
and on. He allowed his gaze to shift to a picture of his sister and her family on the right side of his desk. Denise and Alex had their arms around each other’s waists, and Bryan stood slightly in front, holding a small replica of the Star Cross in his hands. All three had smiles on their faces.

  Kurt reached out and picked up the photo. Family was very important to him; sometimes he regretted not finding someone special and settling down. However, his career had always prevented that. He had hoped someday to command one of the large exploration cruisers but had been given the Star Cross instead. Now here he was, farther from Earth and Newton than any human exploration ship had ever gone, on a mission bound to encounter numerous and different alien cultures.

  “Hyperspace dropout in twenty minutes,” Captain Randson said over the ship’s comm system.

  Letting out a deep sigh, Kurt replaced the picture. It was time to return to the Command Center. He knew that Andrew was anxious to reach Kubitz and see if they could find Emily and Alexis.

  -

  Sitting down in his command chair, Kurt read the counter on the tactical display, which showed two minutes until dropout. To his right stood Grantz, who had been summoned to the Command Center. Lieutenant Tenner, the lead officer for the First Contact team, had come also.

  “Take us to Condition One,” ordered Kurt. “Contact the Sydney and Dallas and inform them to go to Condition One as well.” Traveling together in hyperspace allowed for short-range communications.

  “Dropout!” called out Ensign Styles.

  The last few seconds quickly passed, and then the Star Cross dropped from hyperspace.

  Kurt took a deep breath, as he felt the familiar wrenching sensation. Then he intently watched the viewscreens come on and the tactical screen update.

  “All systems functioning normally,” reported Captain Randson.

  “Energy shield is up, and all weapons are online,” added Lieutenant Mays.

  ‘No contacts on the short-range sensors,” reported Lieutenant Brooks, as her hands moved quickly over her computer screen, lightly touching different icons.

  “Get our next jump calculated,” ordered Kurt. “All ships will stay at Condition One.”