"As you wish, Aladdin."
The Donegal and the Glendaloch bypassed the assigned parking area and instead took up stations where Hartmann had directed them to, between the cargo ship and the mining station. Both of the mining ship captains took the expedient of aligning their ships with their bows aimed directly at the armed cargo ship. This had the double advantage of pointing the most heavily armored portion of each mining ship directly at the enemy ship but, more to the point, it also brought both of the 10,000 gigajoule mining lasers directly to bear on the unsuspecting and now completely overmatched Aladdin.
"That is not where I instructed you to park, Donegal!" said the captain of the Aladdin, "But it will do. Shut down your systems and prepare to be boarded. Our shuttle will be departing in a few minutes."
Apparently the captain of the cargo ship hadn't spoken to any of the members of the Sheik's navy who had been in this system previously. The balance of power at the Piedmont mining station had just shifted dramatically and one of the players was completely oblivious to the peril he was now in! Seamus O'Connell smiled sardonically. No matter, the captain of the Aladdin would understand the error of his ways soon enough...
Shielded from the view of observers on the Aladdin by the bulk of the two mining ships, Chris Hartmann and four additional heavily armed station security people plus another seven burly, pissed off miners, all of them heavily armed as well, prepared to launch a mining sled towards their former tormentor. Hartmann was wearing the set of battle armor that the station forces had captured from the enemy during the Sheik's last attempt on the station,
In the meantime, another group of Hartmann's men set the automatic controls on an unmanned sled and prepared to send it out towards the cargo ship from a totally different direction.
"Seamus? We're ready to distract him with the dummy sled. Get ready to make your move."
"Roger, Chris," O'Connell radioed back. "The Glendaloch is going to start heading towards him from his starboard side and I'll move the Donegal right up into his face on his port side. You keep that sled right up underneath the Donegal while we move towards him and when you get within fifty meters of him, you guys make your move. You get that close to him, with that gun on the top of the ship, they won't have a firing angle on you. Latch onto him and get inside as quick as you can, we'll keep him from going anywhere."
"Sounds like a plan," returned Hartmann.
"Everybody ready?" asked Seamus, "Okay, we'll start the action on my mark...three...two...one...Mark!"
Chapter 41.
Nacobbus System, on board Federation Prototype cruiser XC-89, on route to UTFN Reclamation Center, January 10, 2599.
Captain Jennifer Helmsford kept a careful eye on the readouts she was getting from the viewscreens at her command post on board the XC-89. The auxiliary bridge area on the prototype ship was remarkably similar to the bridge of her last command, the FNS Larkspur. She was encouraged by the fact that the first microjump that her crew had attempted with the old ship was proceeding normally. The ships were similar enough in other ways as well so the crewmembers from the Larkspur were not running into any big problems operating the systems on the prototype. One of the biggest differences was the fact that their new ship had two reactors but with Frank Talbot and Angus Hawkins helping out down in engineering, even this difference didn't seem to be too big of a factor.
The XC-89 phased smoothly out of her microjump. Executing a hyperjump was mostly a matter of getting all of the parameters set properly, activating the drive module, and going along for the ride. The machinery would automatically power down the drive and bring the ship back into normal space when the requested instructions had been executed.
"Engineering? This is Captain Helmsford. Is everything okay back there?"
"Aye, Captain," replied Hawkins, "All be lookin' fine down here. T'be tellin' the truth, this machinery, for as old as it all be, has nay been operated much. It's like all of it be almost new."
"I must say that the ship operates a lot better than I expected it to. Check everything again, if you would, Chief Hawkins, to make absolutely sure we haven't missed something."
"Aye, Captain, we be already started."
The cutter with Harris and Carlisle on board phased out of hyper a safe distance away and, some thirty seconds later, so did the Nasr.
"Lieutenant Harris here. Is everything okay with the prototype?"
"It sure looks like it, Lieutenant," replied Helmsford, "the major systems are checking out fine, but we're double checking to make sure we haven't missed anything."
"We'll stand by, Captain Helmsford. From this point, it will take us about an hour to get back to the Scrapyard on our reaction drives. I'll contact Commander Kresge and let him know what our status is."
***
"Kresge here, what have you got for me Harris?"
"We took the prototype through some trials using conventional propulsion and now we've just come out of microjump. Everything seems to be working fine. We're boosting in on reaction drives now. We should be at the Reclamation Center in an hour or so."
"Excellent!" replied Kresge.
"What's the status of our recruiting expeditions?" asked Harris.
"The Asimov and the City of Darwin will be jumping back sometime later today. They had some difficulties over in the Heard's World system. They had to take on a couple of Jasmine gunboats."
"Two gunboats? How did that go?"
"The Asimov blew them both out of space!"
"I'd heard those Fletcher Class destroyers were good ships."
"Yes, they are and it sounds like that young Spacer tactical officer on the Asimov is damned good too. I don't have all the details yet, we'll have to debrief them when they get here. They must have a pretty good story to tell, they also captured a freighter loaded with supplies and hand weapons. The freighter came through yesterday."
"What about the mining ships?"
"No word from them yet, I kind of expect to hear from them today or tomorrow."
"Thanks for the update, Commander."
"Have you tested the weapons on the prototype as yet?"
Helmsford, who had been listening in, responded.
"We haven't tried the weapons yet, Commander. Are you sure it's a good idea?"
"Might as well find out if we have an effective offensive weapon or another transport ship," replied Kresge. "Out there in deep space would actually be a damned good place to test your weapons just in case...something does go wrong."
"I have to agree, Commander, Foul Beastie will proceed with weapons testing."
"Foul Beastie?" asked Kresge.
"Sorry, Commander," replied Helmsford, "That's what Chief Hawkins called the ship when he first saw it. I think you'll agree with his assessment when you see her. The crew picked up on it and the name seems to be sticking."
"UTFN Foul Beastie?" said Kresge, "Manned by a bunch of Junkyard Dogs, it somehow seems more than appropriate. Foul Beastie she will be!"
The gun crew for the retractable turret was a hodge-podge of personnel from the Larkspur's two main battery crews who had managed to survive the battle with the three destroyers. With both of the Larkspur's main batteries having been destroyed in that altercation, some of the heaviest losses suffered by the Larkspur's crew had been among the gun crews. Combining all of the remaining personnel into a single team provided just enough people to man the single main battery turret on the prototype.
"Attention, all hands," said Helmsford, over the prototype's PA system. "We are going to test fire the weapons while we're still out here in deep space. Engineering? Prepare to run the number two reactor up to one hundred percent power."
"Roger, Captain," replied, Hawkins, "we be rampin' power on number two up to one hundred percent. She be on standby right now. We'll be needin' about fifteen minutes t'get her stoked up."
"Understood, engineering. Let me know when we have full power. Weapons? Bring the front battery into firing position!"
One more task that had yet to be pe
rformed on the Larkspur was the operation of the retraction mechanisms for the main and secondary turrets.
"Raising the front battery to firing position!" came the reply.
A strange vibration permeated the prototype as the front battery rumbled from retracted to fully deployed. Harris, at the controls of the cutter, watched as the round, flat plate on the front of the prototype was revealed as being the top of a squat, disc-shaped turret. The flat plate of the top was about half a meter larger in diameter than the turret itself. The plate fit into a recessed receptacle and sealed the emplacement neatly and almost seamlessly to the hull when the turret was retracted. When the disc of the turret had fully deployed, the snouts of the two projectors ran out through two circular openings in the front of the turret. Immediately afterwards, the four smaller turrets of the secondary batteries deployed as well. The secondaries were all placed where they wouldn't interfere with the full three-hundred and sixty degree field of fire for the main battery. One set poked out of the nose of the ship. Two others deployed on the port and starboard flanks, just in front of the strange cooling fins and the final one deployed out of the bottom of the ship. With all of her weapons deployed and her ultimate purpose finally revealed, the homely little ship took on a decidedly more sinister and purposeful appearance.
The deployment had taken just over three minutes. Something that Captain Helmsford made a mental note on. Knowing the capabilities and the limitations of your ship could make the difference between living and dying!
"Engineering? How's that number two reactor coming?"
"She be spoolin' up now, Captain," replied Hawkins. We should be at one hundred percent in another...three minutes."
"That's better than your first estimate by about five minutes, Chief Hawkins."
"Aye, Captain, that were just an estimate. This machinery be in much better shape than we expected."
"Thank you, Chief."
"Main battery crew? Are you prepared to charge capacitors? We'll have full power to the reactor in just few more minutes."
"Standing by for your order, Captain," replied Sergeant Conrad Lieber, the gun crew chief. "We're ready. These capacitor systems aren't all that much different than the ones on the Larkspur. They're a little more robust and there's two more of 'em but other than that, it all looks pretty much the same. We've got the control consoles all powered up and will attempt to charge capacitors as soon as we get the go ahead."
"Captain? Engineering here. We be havin' one hundred percent on the number two reactor. All clear on our end t'be chargin' those weapons."
"Thanks, Chief," replied Helmsford. "Main battery? You are clear to charge capacitors, Sergeant!"
"Aye, aye, Captain. Charging capacitors."
The gun crew had set the controls to charge up the six capacitors of the portside gun one at a time and, when those modules were charged, to repeat the process with the starboard capacitor stack. Lieber, who was monitoring the charging process was astounded by how quickly the capacitors charged up.
"Charging number one capacitor. What the...? Number one capacitor charged! Charging number two...three...four. My God these charge up quick! Port side capacitors all charged, Captain. Charging starboard side...four...five...six. All capacitors charged on both guns, Captain."
"Prepare to test fire the portside weapon, Sergeant. Multiple pulses from single capacitors, if you please."
"Aye, Captain. Firing portside projector, single pulses, single capacitors. Firing portside projector now!"
Chapter 42.
Catskill-Soroyan System, near the Piedmont mining station, January 10, 2599.
The Captains of the two mining ships had positioned their craft between the Aladdin and the mining station but they hadn't actually allowed their respective ships to come totally to rest as yet. Neil Patrick contacted the Donegal on an open channel that had been deliberately chosen because the miners knew it would be received by the enemy ship. "Seamus?" he said, "We're havin' that problem with the thrusters again. They aren't turnin' off properly. I'm gonna run a quick test before we try to move again. Will you observe?"
"Roger, Glendaloch, we'll be glad to take a look at your thrusters for you."
"We are preparing to send boarders," said the Captain of the Aladdin, his tone beginning to sound a little panicky, "You will not perform any tests until we give you permission!"
The rear thrusters on the Glendaloch fired before the Aladdin's Captain finished his warning.
"Oops!" said Patrick, "Sorry! Too late!"
The Glendaloch began to creep slowly forward, away from the mining station and towards a point somewhere to starboard of the armed cargo ship.
"You will cease maneuvers this instant!" came the angry order from the Aladdin.
The turret on the top of the cargo ship swiveled smoothly to starboard, to target the slow-moving ship.
"The damned thrusters are stuck! Shut 'em down, Helm!" said Patrick, over the open comlink.
"You will cease maneuvers or we will fire!" shouted the Captain of the Aladdin.
"Okay, okay!" returned Patrick, "Engineering will shut them down, we just need a little more time!"
"I do not know what your game is, Glendaloch, but your time is running out!"
"Hartmann?" said O'Connell, "Have your men launch that decoy sled now."
"Roger, Seamus"
The sled came rumbling out from under the Glendaloch and angled steeply upwards headed towards a point above and way over to starboard of the armed cargo ship.
"What are you fools up to now?" shouted the captain of the Aladdin. "You will cease this activity at once!"
The turret mounted on the top of the Aladdin swiveled even further to starboard while the single projector rotated upwards, targeting the unoccupied mining sled. When the projector came into alignment with the sled, a pulse bolt lashed out. A direct hit on the mound of ore on the front of the sled resulted in a harmless but very impressive explosion accompanied by a spherical cloud of debris.
With the Aladdin occupied by the distraction, Hartmann ordered the launch of the other sled and its crew of heavily armed men. Maneuvering carefully, the skilled pilot of the sled kept the bulk of the Donegal between them and the cargo ship.
"Chris?" sent O'Connell, over the private mining channel, "What's the recharge time on that cannon, do you know?"
"We've been watching them. I think it's somewhere around eight seconds between pulses."
The captain of the Aladdin, finally realizing that something badly amiss was up and that he was losing control of the situation, began firing his pulse cannon as quickly as it would recharge. With the projector of the Aladdin's gun emplacement already pointed in the general direction of the Glendaloch, the Sheik's men targeted her next. Another pulse bolt lashed out from the Aladdin's turret and struck the armored nose of the Glendaloch.
The heavily shielded front of the mining ship bore the scars of countless impacts from blasted rock and other mining debris. If the pulse bolt left a mark, it was hard to distinguish it from the thousands of other nicks, gouges and shallow craters that marked the shield already.
Meanwhile, Hartmann and his boarding party had latched onto the belly of the cargo ship.
The Captains of the two mining ships made sure that the crew of the Aladdin had plenty of activity to keep them distracted while Hartmann and his men worked on the airlock entrance.
"You, Bastard!" sent O'Connell, "You fired at one of my ships! Hans? Charge up the mining laser; I don't think I like this guy's attitude!"
Meanwhile, with the security team safely under the cargo ship and out of the line of fire of the pulse cannon, the Glendaloch used maneuvering thrusters to dive under the Aladdin and pivot around until she was lined up directly astern of the armed cargo ship.
"I guess these thrusters work okay after all," said Patrick. "My mining laser is charged as well, Seamus. I wonder what a continuous beam from a 10,000 gigajoule laser will do to the drive tubes of a cargo ship?"
"Goo
d question," said O'Connell. "I've got mine pointed right at the bridge."
The turret on the top of the cargo ship was frozen at a point somewhere between the two mining ships, as if the gun crew didn't know which target represented the bigger threat. Meantime, in the confusion, the security forces and the armed miners from the mining sled had managed to gain entrance to the cargo ship.
"Seamus?"
"What is it, Hartmann?"
"We're in! These idiots were so overconfident that they hadn't bothered to secure their main airlock!"
"Good luck, Hartmann," said O'Connell.
"Damn it!" said Patrick, "I really wanted to find out what would happen if I fired this laser up his drive tubes!"
"Looks like it'll have to wait for another time, Neil."
The captain and crew of the cargo ship had been so flustered by the antics of the two mining ships that they had been taken totally by surprise by the boarding party. Hartmann's security detail met little resistance. Several of Aladdin's crew members, who had armed themselves with pulse pistols in preparation to board and inspect the mining ships, attempted to put up a fight but found themselves badly overmatched. With the battle armor-equipped Hartmann leading the way and drawing all of the enemy fire, the infiltrators were able to subdue the armed crewmen after a short exchange of pulse weapon fire. Two of the enemy were killed and several others were wounded before the few remaining armed crewmembers put down their weapons and surrendered. Within the space of less than ten minutes, the merchant ship that had kept the miners bottled up for two whole weeks, was now under their control.
With the capture of the Aladdin, the Federation forces had acquired another of the Sheik of Barsoom's ships, one that was armed to boot!
***
After a couple of hours to secure the cargo ship and lock up her crew in the mining station's holding cells, Chris Hartmann found himself back in his office. He glanced at a patch on the wall that covered pulse beam damage that had been inflicted by the Aladdin during her initial occupation of the system.
The Santana Nexus (Junkyard Dogs Book 3) Page 26