Davis spoke, “Chief, we can keep picking away at these outer ships, but we are hardly scratching the surface. Those early Prassi losses are now starting to show. Those big guns are offline and I don’t see them coming back soon. Might be time to cut and run.”
Davis had stated what I already had on my mind. We could take out a few dozen more Milgari ships, but would it make a difference? And our own ships were continuing to take hits.
As I reached for the comm button to reply a hail came over a common channel, “Small force on the left flank. This is Admiral Zimmerman of the Grid Military Force. Switch to designated channel B5. We would like to discuss our appreciation for your help in this affair. Please respond…”
The message was repeated several times. Frig spoke to me between firing at targets, “Sir, are you going to respond to the hail? I believe today’s showing tells us which side Zimmerman is on Sir. He is not a Milgari agent.”
I cut hard to the left and barely escaped a twin bolt from a Milgari battleship. “I never thought the Admiral was a traitor. It’s Cortes that I’m worried about. We still have no explanation as to why he was meeting with the Milgari that day. Just doesn’t make sense. And if you look at the Grid Force transponders you won’t see the one that Cortes was using. Either means it was a fake or he’s not here today.”
Frig fired off a bolt, taking out a cruiser’s battle cannon. “Sir, I’m running an algorithm to match the visual signature of the Ranger with those Grid ships out there. If Cortes is here we will know.”
Several minutes passed before all the Grid ships in the field of battle had been identified. The Ranger was not in attendance.
Boom!
We took another hit to the port tail fin. “I think that is a signal for us to go. If we decide it’s a good thing to do we know where Zimmerman resides, we can contact him any time. I would like to see something that tells me Cortes is not working for the enemy. Find me that and I’ll be more than ready to talk.”
Several of the massive cannons from the big Milgari ships continued to function. Their bolts were turned towards the planet’s surface. A zoom in with our visual sensors told us what they were targeting. It was the Milgari ships, ships that were now under the control of the Prassi.
One by one the captured vessels were being destroyed. When the last captured ship exploded in a blue flash and fireball the monstrous ships all began to move. The Milgari, even though the odds were in their favor, had decided to cut their losses and leave. We took it as an opportunity to peel off and leave while still in fighting condition.
All five of the massive Milgari ships had taken heavy damage with only one having weapons that remained operational. The Milgari fleet had taken tremendous losses with nearly half of their ships disabled or destroyed. The Prassi had fared much worse with just over a quarter of their once colossal fleet remaining. Zimmerman’s crew had lost 37 ships, including one of their new battleships. The remainder of his comparatively small fleet, although damaged, would be leaving the battlefield under their own power.
Our Defenders had taken 42 hits, but those hits had largely been dispersed with only two of the ships taking more than two strikes at a single point. I was proud of our team for their performance. Rodriguez had managed to escape the mire without taking a single strike.
Her comm activity echoed that fact. “Oh, look at you guys. All bruised and beaten. You know, if you took better care of your equipment out there you would have a much more attractive Defender. I hope no one sees me riding with you on the way home. That would be embarrassing!”
The other pilots were silent for nearly a minute after Maria’s braggadocio comments. Barg and Davis then responded by each firing a low level ion pulse at the Falcon. Two dark blemishes were left on the previously spotless hull.
Maria responded, “Really guys? Really? Are you so jealous of my skills that…”
I cut in on the conversation. “OK. Knock it off. Anybody else fires on our own ships, even in jest, you’ll be grounded and replaced with another pilot. That includes your engineer so any of you engineers want to keep flying I suggest you keep your pilots in line. And Rodriguez, how about a little less of the banter while everyone’s adrenaline is all pumped up. Great job on not taking a hit, but let’s save the bragging for the appropriate time.”
Barg replied. “Appropriate time? Chief? When is it appropriate to have a five inch heel ground into your forehead? I mean, if it wasn’t for all my cover flying the Falcon would be looking more like an overcooked chicken! Hahahaha!”
Despite my attempts at bringing down the level of sarcastic chatter, it continued on for several hours. Other than the normal sarcasm, there were no mean or hurtful things said. The team was just blowing off steam after coming out of an epic battle, a battle where an entire species had been placed in jeopardy. The Prassi had driven off the Milgari, but it had cost them dearly and the Milgari would be coming back just as strong as before or stronger than ever.
As we headed for home we departed on a route that was not aimed at our final destination, it was standard operating procedure. Just before our turn for home Frig chimed in with an alert, “Sir, we have a ship following us. It is one of Zimmerman’s. They are just at the edge of our sensor range and in fact, they are popping in and out of view. Had Rita not precision tuned these sensors we would probably not know they were there.”
“They are able to match our speed Sir, might I suggest that we take them through the Fasture Nebula? It seems to be our best method of shaking off a tail. The journey will take us an extra five days, but we won’t give away our home location. I believe it was a wise move to have removed our ship IDs and turned off our transponders while away from Bullwort Sir. It should assist in preventing others from looking there for us.”
The extra time was taken to pass through the nebula. The Zimmerman tail was slowed dramatically while our own speed was increased by use of the negative ion engines. From the other side of the nebula it was an easy ride back to Bullwort. After touching down Gy and Rita got immediately to work on repairs.
Gy spoke, “Looks like we didn’t do too badly out there this time; as a quick estimate, I can probably have them all back in top condition within a week. And if you track down George I believe he has some news for you too.”
I placed my helmet in the locker and stepped down out of the Swift’s hold. My first destination was to my home quarters where I took in a long and very much needed shower. I then made my way over to see George. “So, I hear you have some news?”
George looked up from his desk and smiled. “I do. I managed to find four more Blevins out there. Three are headed this way while the fourth is in the hands of an owner who would not sell.”
“I’m still working him on it, but at the moment they have a sentimental attachment that I haven’t been able to overcome. This also completes a sweep of the surrounding 600 sector grids. I believe we have as many of the Blevins as we can acquire. There are just not many of them left. As far as our ore sales have been going, well, I can safely say that they have all been getting snatched up just as quickly as we put them out there. Your boy Zimmerman must have quite the operation going on. That is a lot of ore!”
After my talk with George I returned to the hangar to consult with Rita. I had an idea to run by her that had been rolling around in the back of my head during our ride home. “Rita, I have a question. Would it be possible to cover the hull with the same material we use on the Tantric shield?”
“You know, the material we use to project an image forward of whatever is behind? If we can reduce that visual signature we will be able to mover in much closer without being detected. Is that something that is even possible?”
Rita squinted her eyes and turned her mouth up on one side as she pursed her lips. “Hmm. I don’t know Boss. Not sure we could keep it on the hull given the speeds we travel at. Every little bit of space debris is going to pick away at i
t. The Tantric can handle that, this stuff cannot.”
I rubbed my chin for a moment. “But it can be added. And if so, we will at least maintain a smaller signature when needed. Kick the idea around with Gy. See what you can come up with. Anything we can do to reduce our visual gets us one bit closer to whatever it is we want to see. If the Milgari are using visual targeting algorithms it might give us an edge there also.”
Rita nodded her head as she turned back towards Gy. “I’ll see what we can do Chief. If it’s something that keeps you from taking as many hits then I am all for that as it cuts down on our clean up when you guys return.”
The Prassi war had been on a scale that was almost unimaginable. More than 15,000 ships had collided in a test of wills; millions of citizens for each side had perished. And we had come home with only a few bruises. Our pilots and ships had performed at a level that one could only hope for. The Milgari had been stopped, if only temporarily, and Zimmerman had shown which side he was fighting for.
I was headed to the bar to unwind. My head had been spinning of late given the totality of the task that we had taken on; a handful of patriots and fighters, given an opportunity to do their best, had been giving that and more in defense of our home. The Grid was again safe, if only for a while.
Chapter 5
Gy and Rita came up with a design for the Defenders that would allow a trans-missive coating to be applied to the hull exteriors. The coating would project an image forward of whatever it was that was behind the ship. From the right side it would display the scene as viewed to the left and from the left that of the right. As tested on the ground in the hangar a Defender would take on a translucent appearance when viewed from almost any angle. The probe on the nose of the ship was the only piece of a Defender that remained uncoated.
The Hammer and the Fist were sent up to test the coating’s usefulness under standard conditions. Each ship remained undetectable to the other at a distance of 1,800 kilometers, a distance that was almost infinitely closer than the previous minimum of one eighth of a light-year. From 5,000 kilometers we could not make out even the finest details of whatever it was that we were observing. I was eager to put the technology to my own test.
It had been two months since the Prassi war and we were eager to know the full outcome. The team was again launched towards the Prassi system in an attempt to gather the information we sought. Four weeks later we arrived. The Prassi were hard at work attempting to rebuild their fleet. Construction docks littered the space surrounding their main planet.
After arrival, we scanned our visual signatures. As predicted, the debris encountered during normal space flight had stripped the forward edges of each craft of the trans-missive coating. From straight on our signatures were as big as ever. When viewed from behind those same signatures dropped to almost nothing. From the side we were invisible at half a million kilometers, a distance that we felt comfortable with.
Frig ran several sets of calculations. “Sir, from the construction docks in place and those under construction themselves; I believe the Prassi will be capable of turning out eight battleships, 16 cruisers and 142 frigates per day. I have not seen any docks dedicated to a destroyer class ship. But they are missing a critical element. I am not detecting any stockpiles of Tantric Sir. Without that outer layer their ships will have little defense against the Milgari ion cannons.”
Without Tantric the Prassi ships would also be limited to below light-speed as the normally encountered space debris would cause extreme damage to their hulls. They would be useful for defense within their own star system, but nothing beyond. It was a development that put a pall over their otherwise productive efforts. A ship without Tantric might as well be made out of paper.
I replied, “Frig. Our new ore production has just come online. I’m sure the Prassi are not in the same credit system as the Grid and the surrounding worlds, what can you think of that we could possibly trade for? We could provide that fleet with the Tantric they need. What is that worth to us?”
Frig sat back in his chair as he thought. “If you can get us close enough to that planet we can scan for precious gems. Those tend to be universally accepted as tender. A nice Emerald vein could go a long way towards swapping out some Tantric Sir. Of course we would first have to establish contact with them, something that we have not done so far.”
I had a discussion with the team and a decision was made to try our luck with the Prassi. I put out a hail on a common channel. I was soon in a discussion with a high up Prassi diplomat. “Your assistance in the war is very much appreciated. But our queen is a bit uneasy with us having discussions with a party that we do not know.”
“I hope you can understand our position at the moment. Trust is a two way relationship and while your actions have shown you to be genuine, your words are still under suspicion. I am afraid that we must decline a meeting at this time. We take this action out of caution and it is not in any way intended to offend.”
I replied in an attempt to sweeten the pot, “Mr. Bassik, your people are in desperate need of refined Tantric. We happen to have a generous supply of such. What we are in need of is something to trade that is of value to us. I am sending you a list of precious gems that would suffice.”
“If your government has any of those in quantity we could easily make a trade. If not, we have the technology necessary to scan your planet for raw deposits of such. In a gesture of our intentions of good will and fair trade we are willing to deliver a shipment for your immediate use with no compensation in return. We are willing to do this as we see the war you are fighting now as a prelude to the Milgari attacking us. We will await your reply as you consult with your Queen.”
As expected, the Prassi agreed to accept the first load of Tantric with no strings attached. Negotiations would resume if that gesture proved to be valid. Frig was concerned. “Sir, I am a bit alarmed with your generosity. The Prassi will be under no obligation to compensate us for that ore. Where is the incentive for them to act honorably?”
I looked over a list of names the Prassi diplomat had given us. Queen Carisse was listed on the top. “I think we are doing the right thing here Frig. The Prassi have just taken a tremendous loss at the hand of the Milgari. For all they know we have other motives as the reason for befriending them. I’ll have to say I would be overly suspicious if I was on the tail end of this deal. If they take it and decide not to negotiate, well, we are still helping the cause.”
The Frost and the Saxon were sent back to Bullwort to collect the next two loads of Tantric. On load would be offered as a gesture of goodwill while the other was available for trade. It would take two months for the ships to make the run home and back. In the meantime I continued discussions with Bassik.
I spoke, “A single load should cover 24 of your battleships. We can supply almost as much as you need for your daily production. I will be asking that we remain anonymous throughout this exchange. We have others, some with whom you have had dealings; that we wish to remain unknown to. We value our privacy and do not wish to be contacted by anyone else. Other sources would possibly be demanding of our ores. A freedom and right that we do not wish to cede to them.”
An arrangement was made for a location to drop the Tantric. We would deliver the ore load to the specified location and once our ship was clear the ore would be ready for the Prassi to collect. In turn, when payments were to be made the Prassi would leave them at the designated location. There was to be no interaction between the species. It was the only way I felt we could maintain our anonymity from Zimmerman.
Two months after our initial negotiations the Frost and the Saxon returned. The first load was delivered and we waited for the Prassi to contact us with their reply. A day after the ore had been picked up we got a call from Brassik, “We thank you for your generosity in our time of need. We will abide by your terms if you are willing to accept Diamond in return for the ore.”
“It is a mineral that is plentiful on our plan
ets that we use heavily in support of our industrial base. We are willing to supply you with Diamond at a five to one ratio. One full load of Diamonds to five of the Tantric ore. If this is acceptable let me know so that I can start the arrangements needed to make this happen.”
We agreed and the Tantric for Diamond exchange was begun. The first load was available immediately with a new load promised every week. I was sure that George would balk at the idea after all the hard work he had put into developing his sales channels, but the ore was going where I saw the greatest need, straight to the front lines.
Ships were assigned in teams of two for transporting the ore from Bullwort to the Prassi system. The arrangement continued for three months before Milgari pickets were spotted in the area. It was not long before one of those pickets attempted an assault.
“Hammer this is Saxon. Looks like our little friend there is itching to die today. You want to take it or should I?” The Milgari frigate closed fast. “You take ‘em, I’m in the middle of a cat-nap.” The Saxon replied. “Roger that. Let’s go scratch one frigate!”
The Saxon pulled hard right and headed for the incoming frigate. The Defender lined up directly with the incoming ship and waited until the last minute to fire. The blue bolt from its ion cannon shot out through the probe on the front of the Saxon. At the same moment the frigate fired at the Saxon. What happened next was unexpected.
The powerful blue bolt from the Saxon made a direct hit on the frigate, but the ion expansion that normally came from such a powerful strike did not happen. Instead, the bolt was drawn into the hull of the oncoming vessel; it was absorbed without doing damage. The frigate’s ion bolt passed by harmlessly as the Saxon took evasive action, but the Saxon was too late on the turn.
The charging frigate clipped off the right wing of the Saxon sending it into an uncontrolled spin. The frigate with its thinner hull construction, disintegrated on impact as the wing tore through its superstructure. Collisions while traveling faster than the speed of light were generally the end of the road for everyone involved.
AMP Private War Page 5