Wandering Engineer 6: Pirates Bane

by Chris Hechtl

  “Possibly sir. An intentional miss though?”

  “Call it a warning shot.”

  “Aye aye sir. Is there anything else?” the Captain asked, looking over to the communication's rating who was dutifully taking notes. She looked up expectantly.

  Admiral Rico frowned and then nodded. “Tell them not to harm the crew. I want them alive. If they kept that ship in such good order, we can use them.”

  “Aye sir, I'll pass the order along,” the Captain replied with a nod.

  “Carry on Captain,” Rico said turning away and cutting the channel.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Irons studied the map of the star system. The Federation's department of Interstellar Cartography had gotten it right with this system, it was a wasteland. Little had changed since the last survey nine hundred years ago too.

  The primary reason he'd chosen Beta 100 omega over 101 was simple, the lack of Jovians. The system was a rocky one, with rocky Mercury class planets and a dispersed belt in the outer system. Attempting to get water in the system would have been near impossible.

  Bounty and her fellow ships tacked across the system, zig zagging in and out above and below the plain of the ecliptic, keeping track of Phoenix each time they passed. They were using up precious fuel, but it was all for a good cause.

  “How are we seeing this?” Enric asked, awed. He checked his implants and then stared into the feed.

  “Radial velocity changes in objects of mass and how they affect other objects. The big one is phase mass polarization,” Commander Nata'roka replied. “That and gravitational microlensing.”

  “Is that what you were modeling before we jumped? And after?” Sprite asked.

  “Yes. I had to adjust for seven centuries of stellar parallax, interstellar drift while comparing it to what the Horathians call a proper star chart,” the alien replied, sounding disgusted.

  “Oh.”

  “And you can see the ships...”

  “Once you know what to look for by eliminating what you know should be there, that's the phase mass polarization by the way, the answer is obvious. But it is also tentative,” the alien replied. As the plot changed. The known objects were blacked out leaving the others behind. “By plotting the mass shadows of each object in hyperspace we can get a general bearing, mass, and course of the object,” the alien said. “From that we can match that to what we have on file for ship's mass and refine the image,” she said, plucking out objects that were not on the right course or of the right mass to be a known ship. What remained wasn't perfect, but it was well suited for their purposes.

  Lieutenant Nobeki snapped her fingers and then turned to the Admiral in wonder. “That's why you wanted the hyper sensors overhauled! Now I understand,” she said.

  Irons nodded. He studied the plot. It wasn't perfect, the alien and CIC had only tentative ID's on each of the ship karats, but it was enough to get a general idea of the situation. He understood why the Ssilli had insisted on tacking back and forth above and below the ecliptic, it allowed them a look down or look up view. When they were on the ecliptic the mass shadows washed together.

  “I only had tentative ID's based on their mass shadow however,” the alien said. “And the closer they are the harder it is to make them out, their mass shadows tend to clump. This tin can doesn't have the sensor resolution needed to get a better view.”

  “It's good enough,” the Admiral murmured. “You are doing excellent Commander, my compliments,” he said.

  “Mine too,” Lieutenant Nobeki said. The bridge crew murmured their thanks.

  “We're not done yet people. Save the accolades for later,” the Ssilli replied with a raspberry from her blowhole. “If there is a later. This next part is tricky. I need to concentrate here,” she said, maneuvering them around a cluster of hyper ghosts.

  They were in the lowest band of Alpha, it was the only band they could make out any detail, but it was still tricky to move back and forth around the system. Only a water dweller could pull it off, the Admiral realized. He was hopelessly outclassed, he thought wryly.

  Irons looked around, noting the look of false bravery, excitement, but under that, fear. These people knew what was at stake. They had truly suffered, they knew what would happen to them should they be captured again. But there was something else there too, a defiance. Not directed at him obviously. Defiance and a cold determination to get the job done in a few. Others still looked worried. That was understandable.

  Despite the months of rehabilitation, training, and conditioning, this moment and the hell that was to come would break anyone. Some would indeed break, no matter what preparation they had. They shouldn't have to be here, about to fight for their lives and the lives of others, yet here they were.

  He felt a swelter of pride, pride mingled with sorrow for the sacrifice he was about to ask of them. He hit a link on his chair and opened the PA. A clear tone came from the repaired speakers. Bridge ratings looked up and then turned to him. He nodded. "This is Fleet Admiral Irons. In a few moments we're going into battle. I wanted all of you to know it is okay to be afraid."

  He cleared his throat. "I know fear, I know it's there, lurking, making you think you will fail somehow. I want you to know, others, your brothers and sisters serving with you now know it too. They won't let you down, so don't let them down. You have succeeded beyond anything I have ever thought possible. Know this, I am proud of you, proud to serve with you. In a few moments, we're going to get some payback for all the terror the Horathian's have dealt to us and to those we care about. We're going to make the galaxy a safer place."

  He saw Lieutenant Nobeki smile slightly and nod. Out of the corner of his eye Enric nodded as well. "In a few moments we're going to make the Horathians know what true fear feels like. Just before we blow them all to hell. Battle stations everyone." He cut the PA. The bridge crew clapped briefly, then nodded and one by one returned to their duties.

  He nodded, exchanging looks with Sprite and Bounty. Morale going into something like this counted as a lot, but it was still insanely suicidal. They should run, that's what the book said. Odds were, they might have been able to slip past the Northern fleet somehow. He looked at the plot and the blinking icon of Phoenix. But, they were about to defy the odds and do it anyway. They were committed. They had a roll to play and comrades to not let down.

  He settled himself, feeling a serene peaceful touch on his shoulders. Sprite he knew, letting him know she understood. He nodded to her avatar. "Let's do this."

  When the Horathian force was judged sufficiently far enough away from the jump point the Ssilli dropped the four ships into the mix between Phoenix and her chasers. The four ships dropped out of hyper in a stellar formation forty million kilometers out. They had dropped in a seemingly impossible spot, less than two AU from the local star.

  The ships were on a course to come in from the sun on the Horathian's flank, precisely where the Admiral wanted to be. They were on a least time course for the Pyrax jump point, but they would have to pass through the enemy fleet to get there.

  “Perfect,” the Admiral said, nodding as they settled from jump exit.

  “It'd better be. I don't want to do that again,” Nata'roka replied. “And oh, by the way, we're down to half on fuel. This battle better not take too long or there won't be enough fuel in the minnow's to make the jump,” she said.

  “Cross that bridge when we come to it,” the Admiral replied. “Thank you Commander,” he said.

  “If you don't mind, I think I'll just take a nap now,” the alien replied, voice slurring. The Admiral nodded as the connection terminated. Even in her advanced age she had done wonders, but her part was now finished.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Admiral Rico was confused by the sudden arrival of the four ships. “No one can do that! That's not possible!” He said, rising out of his chair to stare at the plot. He wasn't the only one stunned by their arrival. His flag bridge was gibbering about that insane feat of naviga
tion.

  “Well, tell them that sir! They did it anyway!” Commander Cowl said, waving a hand.

  “Hathaway! It has to be him! What the hell does he think he's doing?” Rico said, slowly sinking in his chair as the CIC updated the plot with tentative ship classes and ID's. From the look of it Hathaway had picked up the Romeo and Echo Corvettes and one of the colliers. But where were the rest, Rico wondered.

  “Sir how...”

  “The squid he's got on board of course!” The Admiral replied. “Don't be so dense,” he said in annoyance, glancing at the image of his flag Captain. Burgon winced. “What bothers me is why did he come in on that course? He knew we were here!”

  “Sir, perhaps he thought we were gone? That we had sprung the attack?” Cowl asked thoughtfully.

  “Not likely,” the flag Captain said. “We have orders to wait until our entire force is gathered,” he said sourly. He'd put in politely worded requests to get off the stick but the Admiral had held firm to his orders.

  “Well, whoever is driving, they sure screwed up. She's headed exactly the wrong way!” the tactical officer said. “She's facing us not the ship she was chasing!”

  “The squid may have done it. Her way of pissing with us. Hathaway will handle it,” Admiral Rico replied with a shrug. “In this chase, the more the merrier it seems.”

  “Aye sir,” the rating replied. “Shall we raise them?”

  “Yes. I want to know what the hell is going on.”

  <----*----*----*---->

  “Numbers?” Irons asked. He fought to keep his voice even. He didn't want to sound bored, that would be too obvious. But he didn't want to sound excited or anxious either. His crew were leery enough at the odds as it was.

  The tactical officer looked up. “We're still getting tentative ID's Admiral, sorry. Passive's only. CIC is still working on running things through the computers. Only a few of the ships are broadcasting an IFF. The gunships are dark, I think so they can get in closer to their prey.”

  “Understood,” the Admiral said, grimacing at the editorial. “Launch the fighters. Plan Baker. Inform the other ships as well.”

  “Baker sir? Aye sir,” Miss Nobeki replied with a nod. She tapped at her controls, opening a channel to the boat bay and passed the order along. A minute later the three fighters launched in succession.

  He had several plans, each were dependent on the conditions. Alpha had been contingent on their catching most of the fleet in Lassie's net. They would then cross the system together and jump to Pyrax. That was out.

  Baker required Phoenix and Lassie to break from the warships and make their way to the jump point on their own, preferably by going wide around the fighting.

  They had various other plans, and variants of each of them, but he was now certain that things were going to get ugly very quickly. He might have to implement his omega plan, for all the ships to scatter and jump if possible. At least one had to get to Pyrax to warn them.

  “Fighters away Admiral,” Miss Nobeki said, looking up. The three fighters dropped into stealth right away, fading on the plot until CIC only had them as tentative locations. Those were based on their last known course and speed. After a moment the icons changed to a plot of their planned course.

  “Very well,” the Admiral said. They were closing on the enemy fleet at ten thousand kilometers per second. Things were getting very interesting.

  “CIC has passed along ID's Admiral,” Bounty reported. The plot altered as icons of data were filled in. Some of it was supplied by the three ship's passive sensors, some by what they knew of a ship's class and from what their intelligence had reported would be here.

  They had known the fleet was broken into four groups spaced roughly a million kilometers apart. Now numbers and ship classes were solidifying. The odds were definitely stacked against them.

  The warships were arrayed in three groups. The outer hemispherical shell had been comprised of a dozen gunships, two frigates, and six corvettes, with the Garth and unexpected North Hampton class light cruisers forward, less than a hundred thousand kilometers from the outer perimeter. That formation had reshaped itself into a mob as they chased after the Phoenix at their individual ship's best speed.

  Four destroyers were on each of the Y and X-axis. The one furthest from them was an Antelope fast attack destroyer. She had two six cm Gauss and one force beam in a spinal mount, along with a dozen point defense lasers and a dozen missile tubes. The one low was an Arboth class. The other two destroyers were uglies, a mix of ship parts he hardly recognized. The entire force was labeled Cruron 1. The Admiral wasn't going to quibble over their choice of identifying markers.

  In the pocket, hanging back were the two large ships. CIC labeled them Cruron 2. The Arrow was a relic, over fourteen hundred years old. Little more than her frame was probably original. She was a cruiser escort carrier hybrid, a flattened arrowhead shape with a pair of notches cut out of her flanks for her flight deck. She was badly designed, thrown together around the time of the second AI war. The ship could handle several squadrons of fighters, but their intelligence stated that she only had a single mixed squadron of fighters on board.

  The Newmann class Battlecruiser had been renamed the 'Queen Adrienne' according to CIC. Irons was very familiar with the design, it had been on the drawing board when he had taken a stint in buships. His fingerprints were all over the ship class since she was a scaled up Resolution class.

  CIC identified one of the frigates as a Yomagato missile frigate, which made even less sense. Yomagato's were reserve units, ancient things even older than the Arrow. They lacked energy weapons and even point defense lasers. Though, someone might have added a few lasers in a refit he reminded himself.

  Her missiles were normally short ranged, under two million kilometers. The ship had been designed as a missile carrier, firing swarms of missiles to overwhelm an opposing force. However she usually shot herself dry in a single firing pass.

  One of the frigates defending the jump point was a Horseshoe class. The remaining frigates were Manta's. The Manta was a flattened disk with drive nacelles on her flanks. The bow was notched for her forward sensors and bow shield emitters. She had a crew of twenty. She was old but a well thought out design, fast for her time, maneuverable, with six turrets, four spinal mount energy weapons, and four missile tubes in her bow.

  All of the corvettes were Apollo class. That said something there; someone had a good supply of those ships. That and they had supplied this fleet with so many to simplify their logistics and maintenance. There were at least two more than their intel had specified.

  The gunships were of many different makes and models. Many were uglies, a few looked like converted small merchantman. Two were HK's he had seen in Pyrax. The hunter killers had a spinal mount battlecruiser graser for it's one and only weapon. She had a crew of six. One of the gunships was green and curved, with a pair of weapon mounts outboard. He recognized her as a Veraxin HK, she had come out at the same time as the Terran HK.

  A dozen converted freighters and tankers, one liner, and one factory ship the Andrew Carnegi or old Carnage as she was affectionately known to her crew, were the fleet train sitting a million kilometers way from the main fleet. CIC labeled the force tango 2.

  There were a dozen gunships, two Manta frigates, and two Apollo corvettes covering the jump point to Pyrax. Those were new, they hadn't been in the intel Bounty had picked up. CIC labeled the force Tango 3.

  The Battlecruiser floated in the center of the formation with the Arrow sitting forward of it. Half of the formation was arrayed outward in a hemisphere, with the small escort ships out on the perimeter. The remaining half of the escorts were covering the jump point in another hemisphere, this one set up with the jump point at their center and with all ship's facing inward to hit anyone who was unlucky enough to emerge.

  It was an interesting formation. On the one hand they were covering external threats, on the other they were covering the jump point at their rear. Their only
ready reserve was the battlecruiser and Arrow though. All the other cruisers were out on the perimeter with the destroyers in a Y-axis stellar formation. That wasn't quite by the book; normally you kept the cruisers back behind the perimeter to respond to a threat on any axis. Apparently they were out to cast their net wide. Either that was to make it easier to catch prey... he frowned and then nodded. Yes, that was it. They were too spread out right now and inviting defeat in detail if an enemy fleet attacked, but of course there was no enemy fleet. Just them. He checked the status board. All the small outer perimeter ships were gunships. That made sense to a degree, they had greater life support than a fighter or AWAC, but the fact that they didn't even have an AWAC or CAP flight out from the carrier was also interesting. He wondered briefly if they were still learning carrier OPS.

  “Admiral, status change. The ship's are forming up. They are coming together,” Bounty reported quietly. Enric looked up from his station with a frown. Irina glanced his way. His face schooled into a deadpan and then he went back to focusing on his station.

  “Why? If they let us in we'd have no place to go. They could turn inward and hammer us. We can pick them off one at a time Admiral.”

  “I'm not complaining. The larger the target the better in this case,” the Admiral said, hands on the arm rests. “Time to point luck?”

  “Cruron one is still reforming. They've cut their speed to allow the furthest ships out time to join them Admiral. Estimating... another five minutes thirty-one seconds,” Sprite said. A clock appeared on his HUD.

  “Very well.” He was jacked in, he checked his arm. “Are you ready to play your part?” he asked.

  “Admiral, there is no guaranteeing this is going to work,” Sprite replied.

  “Just do your best. If they get a whiff pull out. For now just get in and lay your traps. We'll activate them a few seconds before Luck,” Irons said.

  “Aye sir,” Sprite said. “We're ready," she said, glancing at Defender, Proteus, and Bounty. Unfortunately Phoenix was too far out of range to lend a hand with this attack. Proteus had been pressed into service in his place. With its intensive knowledge of ship's systems, the AI should be able to do a bang up job.