Space Rogue

by Jay Toney

  "Amber, whats wrong?" Beverly asked, thinking she was in some form of distress.

  "It's Natty. It doesn't take a whole lot to get her horny, and Nathaniel and Tanya have her in overdrive." Amber explained to her sister how we developed a telepathic link through our Iniguar bonding disks, and how we felt each others emotions, even without wearing the disks, now that we were fully bonded.

  "That is an experience I would like to share one day."

  We gave her two of our disks warning her that once bonded it would become permanent. Both she and her partner would share each others emotions, such as love, hate, anger, surprise, and of course pleasure. On the down side, if one of them were to die or be killed, the other would follow their partner into death. I wasn't sure if that was true with humans, but our physiology was close enough to the Iniguar that it was very possible.

  "It would be worth it to share the experience, I witnessed between the four of you."

  When we got out of the bathtub, we cuddled together on the bed, with Beverly relaxing on a lounge chair. Amber beckoned her sister to join her on the bed where they cuddled and held each other for hours.

  After our afternoon nap, we dressed in fresh clothes, Amber gave one of her outfits to Beverly, so she would have something fresh to wear.

  "Sultan isn't going to give you any problems, is he?" Amber asked.

  "Don't worry, I have him eating out of the palm of my hand. Nathaniel, I apologize for how he acted toward you, usually he is the perfect gentleman. I assure you he will cause no further problems. Especially after we become permanently bonded with these disks."

  "You really do love him?

  "I do. That is why I was hurt so bad when he left me to go into business with you. I let my anger get out of control, taking over me. I nearly lost you becoming so enraged."

  They hugged each other sharing tears of joy with their reuniting.

  I shooed Beverly back to her ship, so we could take care of a few important details.

  "Natty put the judicial hearing on the view screen."

  We missed the trial and sentencing, but were in time for the execution. I had petitioned the court for leniency. I requested that the criminals be placed into slavery, doing hard labor for the rest of their lives. It was turned down on the basis of they're not being able to accomplish enough labor to pay for their continued incarceration. It was better to cut their loss, by jettisoning them out an airlock, than to place the burden of cost on the populace taxing the people for the criminals continued confinement.

  The view screen showed four people in an airlock with a countdown timer. Someone had smashed the timer, but a digital display was on the view screen for us to watch, as there remaining seconds counted down. They screamed and pleaded for mercy, but no one was at the airlock to hear them. When the counter reached zero, the outer doors opened jettisoning them towards the planet where their bodies would burn up when they entered San Paulos' atmosphere.

  "Natty, turn off the view screen."

  I asked the girls to accompany me to the officers galley, where I had a surprise waiting for them. Once there I asked Natty to undress and lay on a table.

  "Natty, you were a naughty girl earlier today, licking my face, and you need to be taught a lesson. No dessert for you. You will just have to lay there while we enjoy our dessert." I produced two canisters of whipped cream, which I spread all over her body, then I dribbled chocolate syrup all over her. "Amber and Tanya, Natty surprise is served. Dig in"

  We surrounded her licking her body clean, while she squirmed, wiggled, and giggled with delight, pretending to struggle, as we lapped up the topping.

  "Cappy, I do too get dessert."

  She sat up hugging us and licking our faces clean.

  Chapter 48

  We undocked from the space station, and joined Reds fleet. Our fleet was small, but hopefully, we had enough firepower to take out the Alliance/Crimson Tide outpost. Our fleet consisted of: 6 destroyers, 6 frigates, 4 torpedo boats, the Vargus, the Hedge Hog, various support craft, and my light Cruiser. This was going to be a bloody battle, with ships being destroyed, and people getting killed, on both sides of the engagement.

  "Tanya, hail Red, and put him on the main view screen."

  "Red, are we going to take the short route through the Sarania System?"

  "Its too dangerous. We would likely loose half the fleet. You've been through the system, and personally know how dangerous skirting that blue giant is."

  "Thanks Red, for a minute I was thinking we would be taking the short route. I'm setting our course to the Auelra System."

  "Tanya, end transmission."

  "Natty linkup with the Hedge Hog, for a simultaneous jump and match his course to the jump point.

  **********

  "Chief, I don't care what it takes, the Lucy launches in eight days even if I have to get out and push her. Do your best, i'm not letting my sister and friends face the Alliance in battle alone."

  "Beverly, there is no way you can catchup with them."

  "Yes there is, I can jump through the Sarania System."

  "That's suicidal! We avoid that system for a reason."

  "Nathaniel made it, so can I."

  "Is there anything I can say to talk you out of it?"

  "No, there isn't. I owe it to them Mike. I made some bad mistakes with my sister, letting my fury get away from me. I made even more with Nathaniel, trying to seduce him and take him away from Amber. I have to do this to try to make amends for what I've done. It doesn't matter how small a contribution I can make, it may still be enough to make a difference."

  **********

  We came out of hyperspace in the Castel System, our second leg of our journey. I scanned the system, as our fleet reformed into formation, with Red and I in the lead. There were no signs of any ships in this system. Its two planets orbiting the red giant in peace. I would have to visit these planets someday.

  "Tanya, open a hailing signal to Red."

  "On screen Nathaniel."

  "Red, what can you tell me about these two planets?"

  "One of them is nearly completely under water. There are small islands and floating cities, where the colonies have established a large fishing industry, and sea farms. We occasionally get shipments in from them, now that we have reopened our space station. The other planet is about half ocean and land. The are colonies on this planet have built large cities on their seashores. They a few have landing fields there for trading. They do a lot of trading with both agricultural goods and seafood. Neither planet has established a spaceport, limiting the amount of trade they can do."

  "Thanks Red, I was thinking of maybe visiting them one day."

  "Tanya, end transmission."

  Our fleet continued its mission across the system to the next jump point. We again linked our ships AI with the fleet and made our next jump to the Far'nar System.

  **********

  "Times up Chief. I've got to launch now if I am going to get there in time."

  "I've patched the Lucy's hull as best I could, with the time I had. The weapons automation is repaired, but I would still man her guns, just in case it crashes again. The engines have been boosted a little to maximize their thrust, and I updated your navigation computers, including a program for an escape orbit, if you get caught in Sarania's gravity well."

  "Thanks Mike, I will see you when I return."

  "Oh, didn't I tell you, I'm coming along on this trip, they are my friends too.

  "Then lets not waste any time. We launch now."

  "All hands, this is the Captain, commence undocking procedures, Operation Help
ing Hand is a go." she announced over the ship wide comm system. Sultan take us out, and set course for the Sarania System, maximum speed."

  "Aye, aye Captain. We are free from the station, and changing course, max speed when we are clear."

  "Mike, you may as well make yourself comfortable, we have 14 hours until we can jump."

  "I will be using that time to reinforce some structurally weak points, I don't want a lucky shot getting through the Lucy's shields, and putting an end to our mission. I'll be outside welding on some armor, give me some warning before you jump into hyperspace."

  Sultan followed Mike to the airlock. "I thought you could use a hand," he said suiting up to join Mike, in making the still needed repairs.

  "I'm glad to have you along, we will be able to get more done, in the short time we have. How are you at welding?"

  "My welds don't look nearly as pretty as yours, but they will hold."

  The chief laughed, "By the end of the day, they will be as neat as my welds are. You are about to get a lot of practice."

  He dialed the gravity down, in the airlock, to zero gravity so they could easily manage the armor plating waiting for them there.

  Chapter 49

  We came out of hyperspace in the Far'nar System. As soon as our instruments started receiving system data, Natasha began her long range scans.

  "Cappy, there are two Iniguar vessels under attack by Alliance vessels, two frigates and a destroyer."

  "Tanya, sound battle stations, condition red.

  "Natty raise shields and secure all bulkhead hatches."

  "Doc and Jane on guns."

  "Randolph, stabilize energy reserves."

  "Tanya, hail Red."

  "On screen Captain."

  "Red, we have to help the Iniguar."

  "We can jump while they keep the Alliance ships busy."

  "The Iniguar have been good hosts to me, as well as trading partners. Its the least we can do. Besides, we don't want the Alliance vessels coming after us on our flanks."

  "You make a good point, are you sure you don't want to be the fleet commander?"

  "Red we have to..."

  "I agree, we will help them."

  The fleet maneuvered to intercept the Alliance warships, following the Revenge as it made its attack run.

  "Natty lock on the destroyer and fire a full spread of missiles as we come into range. Doc and Jane fire when ready."

  "Amber bring ECM online and bring up the PDC."

  "ECM is online and PDC are on standby," Amber replied.

  "Missiles away," Natasha said, firing four missiles and starting evasive maneuvers.

  "Cappy, the Alliance vessels are breaking off the attack with the Iniguar, they are changing course to intercept us."

  "Natty, max burn, lets close the gap. Bring up tactical data, on the main screen."

  The screen came alive, with our fleet, represented with green icons, the Alliance with Red icons, and the Iniguar represented with blue. Arrows represented each ships heading; speed and damage were also digitally displayed. Four more missiles were launched as the tubes were reloaded. Bolts of energy were exchanged as we came into range of their energy weapons.

  More missiles flew toward the alliance vessels as our fleet came into range. Our missiles scored multiple hits on the destroyer, disabling the vessel. The frigates returned fire concentrating on my ship.

  "Natty lock onto the lead frigate and fire missiles."

  Natty fired four more missiles on the lead frigate, as they fired a salvo of their own. Doc and Jane fired our particle beam weapons, raking their shields.

  "Forward shields down to 70%," Randolph reported.

  The second Frigate exploded with a white flash as several of the fleets missiles overwhelmed the ships defenses. The fleet now turned to the last frigate and joined in its destruction.

  "Nathaniel, you didn't think we were gonna let you take all the glory, did ya?" Red said, appearing on our view screen. "Are you damaged?

  "Red I think we may have scratched our paint up a bit, but otherwise were okay."

  The Iniguar appeared on a secondary screen, "Nathaniel, we now owe you, and your friends, a second debt of gratitude. We will make contact with Shree'tek and inform him of this new debt. Join us in Invaldi as our honored guests."

  "I regret that I can't join you at this time. We are in route to the Faraka System, to destroy the Alliance outpost."

  "Then we owe you and your friends a very great debt, indeed. What do you wish of any alliance survivors?"

  "If there are any survivors, do with them what you will. We have no need of them."

  "What about the salvage?"

  "It is your to keep. I hope you can do some good with it."

  I broke communications with the Iniguar and turned to Red."

  "Red were ready to resume course."

  Our fleet assembled back into formation, and resumed its course out system to Faraka's jump point.

  **********

  "Sultan, we are still caught in suns the gravity well, make another orbit we need to get closer, max burn this time, we need to build more speed. Bring us in closer to the sun this time, we need more speed to reach escape velocity."

  "Beverly its to hot, we will burn up!"

  "We'll burn up when our engines give out, and the sun pulls us in. On this next orbit, we will get closer, but much faster, our speed will negate some of the exposure we have to the suns radiation."

  "Sultan, the orbit I programmed in your navigation system will work, trust me," Mike said.

  The Sultan changed the Lucy's course, bringing her on a closer elliptical orbit, following the programed course, and increased the ships engines to maximum thrust. "I hope this works, there is no turning back now." The ship accelerated towards the sun going faster and faster. As the ship approached the giant, it became hotter and hotter as the environmental systems struggled to cool the ship. In a last effort Sultan started spinning the ship on its longitudinal axis, in an attempt to reduce some of the heat on the ships hull.

  "Its working Sultan, good thinking. We're going to make it," Mike said.

  As the Lucy came around the sun her speed nearly doubled. She reached .4c and was accelerating away from the sun. The ship was rapidly cooling as she pulled away from the suns gravity.

  "Sultan, jump to Faraka, as soon as we are clear," Beverly ordered.

  They both felt each others relief through the telepathic link the Iniguar bonding disks provided.

  Chapter 50

  Our fleet emerged from hyperspace in the far side of the Faraka system. We made our way towards the inner planets where the Alliance outpost orbited the third planet. To avoid detection, we ran dark with our drives off, letting our ships drift with their momentum. There was nothing to hide amongst on our current trajectory. Keeping our communications and sensor emissions silent was our only option for any chance of surprise.

  As we got closer, we started building data from our passive sensors and intercepted communications from the Alliance and Crimson Tide. The Alliance fleet size was growing, the numbers and size looked bad for our fleet. Their fleet included a battleship, that was a match for The revenge and all of our destroyers alone. They also had a light cruiser, several destroyers and frigates. Things were not looking good for us. In the short time that we took to amass our small fleet, they were able to fortify theirs.

  "Tanya, contact Red using a line of sight communications."

  "Captain, Red is on the main view screen.

  "Red, I don't know about this one, we are way outn
umbered."

  "They may have more firepower, but we have superior forces. We will win somehow, we must."

  "The only thing I can think of is to eliminate all of their support ships, then simultaneously attack the battleship. If we somehow defeat it, that will leave the outpost open to attack."

  "Simple and to the point. I can't think of anything better. So, we'll go with your plan," Red laughed.

  "That wasn't meant to be a battle plan Red. It was supposed to be sarcasm."

  "Whatever works Nathaniel."

  Our fleet continued to creep in, hidden only by the vast expanse of space. As we got nearer, that vastness diminished growing smaller and smaller. Soon we would be discovered and have to take action.

  "Captain, I am detecting several small objects ahead on the edge of our passive sensor's range," Tanya reported.

  "Put it on screen."

  Our main view screen changed to show a view of several small objects ahead. "Tanya, give me maximum magnification." The image enlarged and the satellites became recognizable.

  "Tanya contact Red. Sound battle stations, condition red."

  "Natasha, seal all bulkhead hatches."

  Red's image appeared on a secondary screen, "What is it Nathaniel?"

  "Red we have a sensor web ahead, it will ping us any second now."

  "Is there anyway around it?"

  "Not that I can see. I'm going to have Natasha try to hack the web, but I think we are as close as we are going to get. Bring the fleet into single line formation, so we can at least hide our numbers."

  "I'll do that. Do your best Nathaniel."

  "Natty, try to hack the sensor web and give us a hole to fly through."

  "Working on it Cappy."

  "Amber, I need you on ECM and PDC controls."

  "Randolph, build our shield reserves, but don't raise shields yet."