by gerald hall
Seeing that this star system is in the middle of over five hundred stars, it also makes looking for us there a bit like searching for a needle in a stack of needles too unless you have specific information about it beforehand. I rather like that.”
“My thoughts exactly, Sir.”
“Do you have a course plotted for YBP 1194 yet, Joanna?”
“Of course, I do.” The navigator said with a sly smile.
“How long will it take us to get there?”
“I calculated that with minimum stops for fuel and drive recharging we can reach it in about ten weeks unless we run into problems along the way, Sir.”
“Were there any other candidate systems that caught your eye, Joanna?”
“No, I’m afraid that the ones that might have fulfilled our requirements were either too close to other inhabited systems or were just too obvious to anyone who might want to go snooping around.”
“I would have to agree with you there, Joanna. However, before we go there, I want to check out some of the other star systems in the cluster first. After all, they are all very close to each other. After that, we can go check out your YBP 1194.”
“So you have decided to accept my recommendations, Sir?”
“Yes, more or less. We are leaving for the Messier 67 Cluster just as soon as we get this ship fueled, provisioned and systems fully operational. I figure that we will be ready to go in just over two weeks. We may have a small transport contract to work along the way to earn a little extra. But that really won’t take us very far out of the way.
If everything works out, we will get to start hunting bad guys very soon indeed.” Alec noted with a hungry grin.
Chapter Four:
Pirate Jump Tender: Black Diamond
Near Nadir Jump Point
Unexplored Frontier System, Orion Arm
September 26, 2320
The jump tender Black Diamond sat hidden within a gas giant’s rings a few hours after the successful completion of another attack on a civilian spacecraft. During this off time, the senior members of the crew always had a lot to talk about before the next victim appeared.
"How is that new engineer working out...What's her name, Angela?" Captain Jackson Farrow asked his first officer, Sarah Bucholtz. The short intense brunette had been looking over some of the jump tender’s bridge readout when the pirate commander arrived after he had spent a few hours resting in his quarters.
"Angela Collins...and she certainly knows her engines." Sarah answered with a hint of pride in her tone.
“I still don't know if we can trust her. After all, she used to be an acolyte with the Truists." the Captain noted.
"Well, at least she told us about that up front rather than making us find out on our own. She has also made no attempt to convince any of the rest of the crew that the True Way is positive in any way."
"That’s good to hear. We certainly don’t need anyone trying to spread Truist propaganda within my crew. But has she been able or even willing to tell us about any of the Truists’ advanced technology? They got away with some of Earth Fleet’s most advanced ships, I remember. We can certainly use any advantage that we can get out here."
"Not so far. But Angela has managed to make some repairs on our heavy shuttle that our other techs have been struggling with for months now. That alone has made her very useful for our purposes."
"Do you think that she knows about more than what she has been admitting to?"
"Actually, I do. Angela just looks at so many things around here with that 'look'...like she wants to say something about this piece of equipment or another but doesn't dare open her mouth. But so far, she hasn't given us cause to push any yet. She told us that she was sick of what she saw within ‘The True Way’ and finally got a chance to escape. I believe her. Hell. Half of our people now are running away from one group or another."
"It's ironic as hell that little blonde left the Truists only to join a bunch of thieves and brigands like us. It's not exactly the sort of place to seek redemption, that's for sure. How has she been working out with the rest of the crew?"
"Not so well, at least for the male crewmembers. We've already had to break up two fights. I know that Angela is very easy on the eyes, but the men are fighting among themselves to have a chance at her."
"Has she encouraged them at all?"
"No, Sir. If anything, Angela appears to be one of these super-religious types who is not promiscuous at all or engages in any of the other usual vices. She just reads her Bible and prays all of the time when she is not actively working on something."
Sarah paused for a moment with a sly smile on her face and chuckled for a moment before continuing.
"Unfortunately for one of the men, Miss Collins also appears to have been well trained by ‘The True Way’ in some form of the martial arts. Simonson got her in a corner a couple of days ago by himself. I guess that he wanted to try to check the girl out without her clothes on, regardless on whether or not she approved. It seems that messing with that little girl was a big mistake on his part. The doc says that it will take two months for his broken arm to fully heal, not to mention his broken nose, bruised testicles as well as the variety of other bruises and contusions that she left him with. I have to admit that I like her style of convincing someone to leave her alone."
The captain laughed as well for a moment before responding. Jackson had long known about his first officer's eagerness towards making others suffer whenever she had the chance. It didn't matter if they were men or women either. He could tell that Sarah relished thinking about Simonson's pain very much.
"Well, that will teach Simonson and all of the others a lesson, I would imagine. Well, at least we won't have to worry about protecting this newbie if we get into a fight. Some of our techs don't even know the business end of an assault rifle, much less how to throw a punch."
"Have we heard anything more about what is happening along the syndicate border, Sir?"
"Our normal sources are telling us that all hell is breaking loose in the within the various syndicates and everywhere else in the human-settled part of the Orion Arm as well. This 'jihad' has spread throughout the various Colonies maybe even into Lu’non space as well. There are also the usual petty conflicts between the colonies and corporate syndicates to take advantage of.
The pickings should soon be very plentiful indeed. With chaos going around, we are going to have a lot of refugees moving around. That means lots of ships, but few weapons. Get everyone ready to move out. This promises to be a target-rich environment for us all. Do you know if our new engineer knows about what is going on yet?"
"Angela does spend a fair amount of time standing around, staring out into space when she is not busy working. As I mentioned before, she prays a lot, reads her Bible and stares out through the viewports into space, but otherwise she doesn't seem to do anything else but work." Sarah answered.
"Let's make sure that she keeps it that way. I don't want any problems from the Truists coming in on my doorstep looking for their wayward children."
"So where do our sources tell us will be our best opportunity for some new 'acquisitions now?"
"I think our Angela might just appreciate this. We are seeking a place of virtue for our next opportunity. The next star system that we will be setting up operations at is the home of a bunch of very well-heeled religious zealots. We should feast very well there."
Captain Farrow had no idea of what he would actually find there though.
Chapter Five:
TTW Jump Tender Purity of Flame
Near Zenith Jump Point
Kepler 162b System, Orion Arm
October 11, 2320
After ‘The True Way’ Tramp-class jump tender Purity of Flame jumped into the Kepler 162b system zenith jump point, Demi-Precentor Mirabella Lucas held a conference with her principal leaders in the jump tender’s main conference room. This also included the half-dozen Uomo Dominante cyborg warriors that traveled with the Forbidden Frui
t company-sized raider force.
“Alright everyone. This is going to be another standard ‘smash and grab’ raid against the infidels. Hidden Blade and our fighters have already cleared this jump point of any possible threats. We are now ready to get to business.”
“Intel has updated reports on your consoles. Are there any questions? None? Everyone get to your ships and finish your pre-combat drills. Adept Tureau and Adept Stern. I want the two of you to stay behind for a few minutes.”
While both adepts wore the same white jumpsuits that personnel of The True Way wore while not in their combat uniforms, they were a study in contrasts in every other way. Adept Victor Stern was Navy in every way, a short stocky man with close cropped graying hair in his mid forties. He wore a serious expression on his face as he stood there at parade rest. Adept Ursula Tureau was a tall, statuesque woman in perhaps her late 20’s or early thirties with long flowing auburn hair and a pale complexion. She was also unnaturally beautiful in many aspects. Victor knew that much of this was the result of extensive cosmetic surgery. Still he felt guilty over looking at Ursula's beauty at all. Victor had been heartbroken after falling in love with an acolyte named Angela Collins. Angela had later defected without explanation from ‘The True Way’ base nearly a year ago where they had both served.
Ursula’s incredible beauty concealed far more than her two prosthetic arms, IR enhanced prosthetic eye and other cybernetic enhancements. It also disguised a terrible hatred inside of her heart for everything else outside of the Uomo Dominante or ‘Dominant Man’ in Italian. She certainly despised the inhuman Lu’nons with a passion. She never explained the reason behind her hatred of the genocidal insectoid race. But there were plenty of humans who had heard about the atrocities committed against humans that had been captured by the Lu’non. Raiders from one of the nearby frontier colonies had also killed Ursula’s entire family at one of the Kepler settlements according to rumors aboard ship.
Ursula’s hatred burned most of all for the former commander of Earth Fleet, Carol Talmont, who she considered a traitor to The True Way. Admiral Talmont had been a member of the ‘The True Way’ before renouncing it and joining the Earth’s interstellar fleet to fight the Truists. Talmont’s actions were sparked by the attempt by the Truists to mutiny and take over large number of warships belonging to Earth Fleet and several of the colonial navies. The Truist insurrection was eventually put down by loyalist elements, but not before dozens of advanced warships fell into Truist hands and escaped. Dozens more were destroyed by the rebels rather than relinquish them. After the political fallout in the wake of the Truist insurrection, Admiral Talmont resigned her position and disappeared into seclusion. Some say that she actually went into hiding to avoid being murdered by Truist assassins, however.
But even within the ranks of The True Way, not everyone fully trusted the cybernetic fanatics of the Uomo Dominante. Their sense of superiority over all others, frequently led the fanatics to flaunt rules and make mistakes that would cause even more problems for the followers of The True Way in the long run.
“Adept Omega Ursula Tureau. You are not going to participate in this raid. You will be staying here on the Purity of Flame. You will be in charge of security here until I return. You will still comply with Adept Stern’s instructions in my absence. I am leaving you behind with one of your fellow Uomo Dominante. He will be continuing his interrogation of the prisoner. You will not interfere with his efforts either, Ursula."
“Why are you leaving me behind, Sir?” Ursula asked while coldly staring at a point about two meters behind the Demi-Precentor’s face.
“You know damn well why you are being left behind. I don’t care if that Adept did not agree with your decision to execute those prisoners. I don’t care if you are Uomo Dominante. You do not shoot any of my troops….period. You will stay here away from the battlefield until I decide what I am going to do with you. Do you understand, Adept?”
“Yes, sir. I serve the Master and those he has appointed over me.” Ursula coldly said in an almost mechanical voice.
“Adept Stern. Go ahead and recharge our jump drive in preparation for our next destination. However, I do expect that we will be able to remain in system sufficiently long enough to complete a full recharge for our ship at a normal rate. Besides, we have pushed the jump drive hard enough with so many jumps lately. I want to give your engineering crew enough time to run full diagnostics on the drive and do any necessary repairs.” The Demi-Precentor instructed the jump tender’s captain.
“The Blessings of the True Way and our Master be with you.” Adept Stern said as the Demi-Precentor left the jump tender’s conference room to prepare for the raid on the nearby planet. The beautiful Uomo Dominante followed her commander out of the conference room a few moments later, leaving the ship’s captain by himself in the room.
Seventy eight hours after the Purity of Flame released its Lion-class battler and Tiger-class assault troop shuttle to attack the Kepler daughter colony, the jump tender’s sensors picked up the signature of an another jump tender arriving into the star system on the far side of the zenith jump point.
“It looks like a standard Invader-class jump tender. Visual sensors indicate that it is carrying a pair of fifty-five thousand ton Conestoga-class heavy cargo shuttles.” Acolyte Gregor Moran announced.
“Are we due any new arrivals in this star system?” Adept Stern with a slightly raised eyebrow.
“Not according to our most recent intel, Captain.” replied Acolyte Moran. While Victor Stern’s official title within ‘The True Way’ was ‘Adept’, many of the jump tender’s crew still referred to him by the traditional title of Captain. Of course, this was mostly when the Demi-Precentor was off of the bridge, Victor chucked to himself quietly.
“What are we going to do? She doesn’t look like a military ship.” Adept Tureau asked. She had quickly traveled from her quarters to the jump tender’s bridge after learning about the new arrival.
“I was thinking of keeping a close eye on her for now” Victor replied calmly. “As you said, she doesn’t appear to be a military ship.”
“Her mere presence is a threat to us. She can report on our activities here to our enemies unless she is neutralized.” Ursula sharply noted.
“We are getting a transmission from the Invader.” A communications tech reported.
“Put it on the speaker.” Victor ordered.
The woman’s voice over the speaker sounded weary and fearful.
“This is the jump tender Santa Maria. We have had an explosion in our drive room, resulting in a misjump. We have numerous serious casualties including our medic. We’d like permission to bring some of our casualties over to your ship on one of our shuttles so that your doctor can help. Please help us. Several of my personnel have life-threatening injuries. We just can’t treat them all. Please…..”
“They cannot be permitted to approach this ship.” Ursula bluntly stated after the transmission ended.
“Agreed. But are we not going to do anything to help them? If we don’t help in some way, they will certainly be suspicious of us. We could send a medical team to them.” Victor replied. He had to come up with some alternative. Otherwise, Ursula would succeed in taking de facto control of his ship by sheer force of will.
“The longer that ship remains in this star system. The more likely that she will detect our true purpose here.” Ursula continued. She looked down at Victor, staring directly into his eyes.
“Adept Tureau. Our troops on the ground are under tight EMCOM measures, meaning no long-range communications at all are being transmitted for anyone to intercept. The planetside communications array was among the first targets of our fighters. There is also nothing to indicate to our visitors that we are anything other than an ordinary commercial jump tender with a Conestoga-class cargo shuttle.”
“Please be patient. You will have plenty of opportunities for battle in the future.” Victor quietly continued with a friendly smile. Still, Ursula sc
ared the hell out of him.
She smoothly walked up to Victor with a perfect smile of her own.
“I serve my Master without hesitation. His will is clear. We have been ordered to seize or destroy all assets that can serve our Holy Cause or can be used by the infidels to resist us. We have the means here with the Hidden Blade to travel to that jump tender and seize it without its crew being aware of our threat until it is far too late for them to act. Our actions will please the Master. We will all then be rewarded for our efforts.”
Ursula reached out her hand and gently caressed Victor’s cheek. The gesture seemed on the surface to be caring, perhaps even loving as she smiled down at him. But Victor was fully aware that hidden within the synthetic flesh of her cybernetic hand that looked so natural, were both a laser pistol and a vibroblade, less than an inch from his throat.
A natural human hand is normally warm to the touch.
The icy touch of Ursula’s hand sent a deathly chill down his spine.
Ursula moved even closer to Victor, purring into his ear. Her voice was sweet-sounding to most who ever heard it. But to Victor, it was the sound of death incarnate.
“Do you know how I got these prosthetic arms and all of the other gifts from my Master? I was building a bomb to put alongside the main supply route for one of the Syndicate garrisons when it detonated prematurely. I lost both of my arms. My helmet visor shield and body armor vest blocked most of the fragments. One fragment pierced the shield and entered my right eye. My Master learned of my sacrifices and honored me by allowing me to becoming one of his Holy Hands. I received new arms, a new eye and even a filter implant to protect me against chemical and biological agents. I pledged myself to my Master’s service even before I received his gifts. I will do anything to serve my Master’s will…..anything at all!”