Galactic Freighter: Scourge of the Deep Space Pirates (Contact) (11 page)

"Will do," the response came. "Just need to launch our missile."

Seconds after the comm announced Forthright had fired their antimatter missile, she lost containment and disappeared in a blinding flash.

Buck gritted his teeth. The escape capsules were not far enough away to avoid the blast. No one would survive.

Another ten minutes and Forthright's missile struck the enemy installation.

Buck returned his attention to the remaining pirates and Barnard ships. Fewer than ten of the original thirty ships remained and most of them were attempting to space. Many of those reflected Barnard signatures. He'd leave them to Captain Tenkiller. His next maneuver would put enough firepower on Katakan that they'd beg for a cease-fire.

His remaining five ships picked targets of opportunity avoiding the civilian areas and continued to rake the military installations with energy cannons. The first to evaporate, long and short range radar and lidar. Buck had ordered the fleet not to target government house. He wanted those people alive.

"Comm from the surface, Captain." Danko didn’t hide the note of subdued triumph in his voice.

Buck pressed the icon. "With whom am I speaking?"

"This is Orienta Ravenscross, President of Katakan. Who are you and why are you attacking my planet?"

"Madam, a pinnace will be landing shortly. If it is harmed in any way, expect the worst." Buck left the connection open, expecting a challenge.

"Who are you and what gives you the right to attack a sovereign world?" She continued to blast Buck for all the lives that had been lost. "The World Court will hear of this."

A court was Buck's smallest concern. No pirate would want to face them, no matter how devastating the raid or righteous they thought their argument. "Madam, I claim by siege, Katakan, in the name of His Majesty Sebastian, Emperor of Iona." Buck knew he had overreached. Not only that, he had told everyone, including the Federation, this had Sebastian's blessing. He fully expected the Emperor's wrath when he returned to Iona. "I will arrive shortly to take command of Katakan. Captain Tenkiller of His Majesty's Royal Navy will arrive soon after and become Governor-General. You will obey his orders." After all, the Emperor had given Buck a blank check; he was simply making use of his authority or as Tommy said, "Cashin' it."

Chapter Ten:
A Captured Planet

"
C
aptain Tenkiller, have you monitored my transmissions?"

"Yes, Captain Fryman. Don't you think you're overreaching? Laying claim to this planet seems a bit much."

"Not at all, Captain. The Emperor did give me a commission to do what was necessary to put an end to these pirates. All I've done is exercise that authority." Buck understood Iona would find it extremely difficult convincing other worlds that they had not intended to annex Katakan. That she’d done so using a civilian fleet instead of the Royal Navy, while a unique argument, would carry questionable weight at best.

"Sir, you have a flair for the grandiose that is unmatched. We have destroyed twenty pirate ships and killed an untold number of their crews. We could go home and leave Katakan to its own miseries. Admiral Dennis agrees."

"Please convey my regards to the Admiral," Buck said.

"You just did, Captain Fryman. This is Admiral Dennis. How do you plan to pull this off? Taking over a planet is no small chore."

"I'll let you know once I get dirtside and can better understand what I'm dealing with." His thoughts went to Tenkiller. It would be his problem. Buck remained convinced that if they left without establishing something that would change the culture of Katakan, the pirates would be back there before Phoenix orbited Iona.

He ended the connection not wanting a lecture and had Danko select thirty men to accompany him to the surface. "Full body armor, flechettes, blasters, the works," he said. "Since we can't land an army, I want to show as much muscle as we can muster." He admitted it wasn't much. "We'll take the pinnace."

Three hours later the pilot set the ship on the lawn a few meters from government house.

"Maybe they're not convinced," said the pilot. "A skimmer with two," he paused, "looks like she has small mounted projectile rifles."

Buck ordered the pinnace's two laser cannons trained on the enemy vehicle. "Just so they understand the consequences of a stupid act on their part."

The skimmer repositioned its rifles and withdrew, standing off another few hundred meters. That didn't satisfy Buck and he ordered one laser shot across the skimmer's bow.

The small ship moved off one thousand meters.

Buck ordered the rear hatch opened and sent his squad out as foragers securing a perimeter around the ship and a corridor to government house.

Six men followed as he marched up the steps, opened the door, and entered the building. Orienta Ravenscross, with a man on each side, stood in the large entryway. Maybe a meter shorter than Buck, dressed in a knee length grey suit, her hair somewhat mussed, face red, she shook her fist at Buck. "You will hang for this," she screamed. "I will hunt you down no matter how long it takes."

"Madam, you are under arrest. Your days of giving sanctuary to pirates are over. You will go to your personal quarters and remain there under house arrest."

She didn't move.

Buck gave a slight nod and one of his men stepped forward. "Madam, if you will follow me, please."

"You go to hell. Touch me and I'll kill you." Hands on hips, she backed away as the freighter stepped toward her.

In a blur, the man picked her up and carried the screaming now-former ruler of Katakan down the hallway. Faced with five heavily armed freighters, neither attendant made an effort to stop the unceremonious removal of their leader.

Addressing the two men, Buck asked, "Is there a second in command?"

"Yes, Sir," said the taller one. "Our military commandant. Follow me."

Along with his guards, they entered a room off the main corridor. A uniformed officer saluted Buck.

"I am General Ravos Ricknei. I command Katakan's military." He didn't ask for terms or offer to surrender.

Buck returned the salute, then repeated what he'd said to Orienta Ravenscross: that Captain Tenkiller would arrive shortly and take control as Governor-General. "General,” he said. “What is the status of your Army?" He expected some resistance. By not standing with President Ravenscross, General Ricknei suggested he realized the fruitlessness of resistance. But could he speak for all his officers? Buck hoped so. Many lives depended on the outcome of the next few seconds. And of course, this was Buck's first experience at a military takeover and he had no idea if it resembled anything but a coarse effort.

"They are in their barracks except for those assigned to normal police duty. We serve both functions on Katakan."

"I must say that you have not resisted us pleases me but it’s hardly what I expect from the man charged with defending the planet."

"Captain, I anticipated you would train your energy cannons on the military installations and ordered my troops moved into the city. Your weapons could devastate the surface and it would be my people who die. I am a soldier and have no illusions about what it takes to win. Resisting a force against which you have no defense is nothing but murder."

Buck studied the man. "General, you are to maintain civil order on Katakan. You will follow my orders or any given by Captain Tenkiller. Any deviation and I will have you in chains. Is that understood?"

"I can live with that, Captain. You will have no problem with me."

Buck assumed Katakan had a constitution and the officer's allegiance was to that precept. It didn't matter. Buck’s primary concern was to make sure he didn't have to fight an organized army. He inquired about necessities for the civilian population. If they had any wants that needed attention, he had to know.

General Ricknei said he knew of no urgent concerns.

Buck signaled his guards out and took a chair next to a window motioning the General to join him. Buck asked for and over the next hour, received an abbreviated history and geography briefing on Katakan, how it came to be, its agreement with the pirates, the constitution, and the general temperament of the civilian population.

"So, the people are not all that happy about pirates using this as a safe haven?" Buck asked. "From that, can I assume there will be no resistance to our presence?"

"Not from civilians," Ricknei said. "There are elements within the Army that may not be so compliant. Many are former pirates who decided to forgo the life as a brigand and joined our ranks. Most had no skills for earning a living. They are difficult to control at best."

"Do they have a leader?"

"No, Sir. By their nature, they act alone. They are no more than renegades."

"And you tolerate them?"

"Once President Ravenscross declared Katakan an open port, and the pirates arrived, they dictated terms. It was then I realized she had grossly underestimated what they would bring to our world other than the economics involved."

"Her reception didn't suggest that we were welcome."

"Olivia Ravenscross is a formidable woman. In the early years, she accommodated the pirates. An avowed enemy of Sebastian, Jarred Mahoney, showed up and between the two, gained a modicum of control. I think given enough time she would have gained the upper hand. The two weapon arrays guarding the approaches to Katakan you destroyed were the results of their first effort toward that end. It took several years and a number of civilians who accompanied Mahoney to complete the installations. Once in place, the pirate's influence waned as Mahoney's increased. When word of your armed freighters spread, it helped and the pirates concerns played into her hands. That's not to say she would run the pirates off. I believe she wanted to regain control. She's not one to take orders from anyone.”

Buck grunted and said, "Mahoney thinks he should be Emperor of Iona."

"Blood?" Questioning if the man carried royal blood.

"Nope, just delusional. He has enough credits and people of a like mind to cause trouble, and has. Sebastian's Navy all but wiped out Mahoney's fleet at Woodall and took the planet. Perhaps I was hasty in locking her up."

"Probably not. She may never cool off, and if she does, it will take some time. However, if she relents, Olivia could be a stabilizing presence and of great help to you."

"I take it the civilians are aligned with her."

"Some. Not all, but if I've read the populous correctly, you'll have no trouble with them. The Katakan people are not rebels."

"General, you seem detached from all this. Can you explain your attitude?" Buck had worked with enough military types to question Ricknei's behavior. It seemed to him a contradiction and any officer would have chaffed at ceding authority without any resistance.

Considerably smaller than Buck, General Ricknei looked out the window and sat quietly for a few moments.

"Captain, you are not a military man; am I correct?"

Buck chuckled. "No, I am not. Is it that obvious?"

"If I may say so, yes, with no offense intended. I am military, have been all of my adult years. I am a professional soldier. Before coming to Katakan, I was second in command of a world called Cratten. It's to the other side of this sector. Perhaps business has taken you there and you know of it. Pretty place. When the opportunity to lead Katakan's military came, I resigned and took the job. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for and by the time it became evident, my leaving would have left the people to the mercies of the pirates. I couldn't do that." What he didn't say, aligning himself with this government had destroyed his reputation and career. He had no other place to go.

Buck's estimation of the man as someone he could deal with increased.

"If what you have told me holds up, I think I can work with you. Be warned, the lives of my crew may well be in your hands. If you have lied or deceived me, or any of my people in any way, I will hold you personally responsible."

General Ricknei nodded. "I accept that."

Buck turned at a knock at the door. "Come."

A crewman stuck his head in. "Sir, Captain Tenkiller's pinnace has arrived."

"Have him come here. General, you can meet your new boss," Buck said. "Let's hope it goes well and is as fruitful as ours has been."

"Tenkiller. The source of his name? It sounds a bit ominous. Can you tell me its origin?"

"He's old Earth Chiricahua Apache. If you studied Terran history, they were some of the most feared native Indian warriors that inhabited the ‘old west’ as it was known." Buck studied the General watching for his reaction but detected nothing that suggested anything wayward.

Both men stood when Captain Tenkiller entered. Buck introduced the two and brought the Captain up to speed.

"Have you declared martial law?" Tenkiller asked.

That brought a no. "Order it now and General, assemble your senior officers. I will address them."

"I'll leave you two alone," Buck said. "A visit to Madam Ravenscross is in order."

"Captain, you've said you're not military. What, or who are you?" Ricknei asked.

Buck looked at Tenkiller and ignored the grin plastered on the Indian's face. "By trade I haul freight."

He didn't wait for the General's reaction and left the two. He asked the guard to lead him to the deposed president's quarters.

Subtle colors adorned and enlivened the hallway. Pastel shades depicting known artists ran the length broken by doorways, hall intersections and occasionally a window that looked out over a verdant garden.

Buck took a deep breath knowing this was not going to be a pleasant experience, and then lightly rapped on the door.

It opened wide with Olivia Ravenscross, hands on hips blocking his entry.

"May I come in?" Buck towered over the woman but she didn't seem the least bit intimidated by his massive frame.

"Who in the hell are you and what right do you have to attack us?" Her angry words carried every bit of spit she could bring.