Galactic Freighter: Scourge of the Deep Space Pirates (Contact) (4 page)

That had been Buck's first meeting with the Navy since opening his company, the stories of his ramming a pirate having attracted the admiral's attention. Basselrod occupied the freighter's time, questioning him in detail about the pirate he had knocked out. A junior officer scoffed that a freighter wouldn't begin to know how and would run. Basselrod silenced the man with a look that brooked no impertinence and suggested he check the report at the admiralty.

Buck had explained in detail what he would do and the Admiral agreed that the pirate wouldn't be able to recover. The detractor who had earlier scoffed at Buck's comments kept quiet rather than earn more of the Admiral's wrath or that of other participants.

"Lt. Donaldson picked it up. We'll see just how good the tactics work this time."

Still at the plot board, Buck entered a new vector, slewing Phoenix to port and then kicked the ship over cutting her velocity by half. Minutes later, he again touched the board, finishing the maneuver.

"Tommy, you ready on the cannons?" At the two ships’ current speeds, both shedding delta v in an attempt to meet the other's course changes, both were vulnerable. If Phoenix completed the maneuver first, they would win. "Sure am, Cap'n," answered the first mate with anticipation.

Buck entered another heading, his second sliding vector that would separate them by less than fifty thousand kilometers and on a course bring the pirates under his cannons. He had the enemy at his mercy. They could try to run, and did make the effort, accelerating during a slewing course change, a desperate maneuver for an older ship that lacked inertial gravity. Even with their best effort, they remained in Phoenix's attack envelope.

"Target ahead of the engines, amidships," Buck said calmly as the distance between the antagonists lessened. "Everyone on their toes… here we go."

Manipulating the thrusters, he brought Phoenix's nose around ninety degree, maintaining the slewing vector now behind and above the pirate—the final adjustment. Buck closed the forward blast shield as the ship's computer triggered the thrusters, putting the pirate under Tommy's weapons.

"Fire," Buck ordered.

A slight tremble signaled the discharge as power drained the electrical systems.

"Got him." Tommy's voice was like a whiplash. "He's vented. The other one's changin' his headin'. Give me another ten degrees to starboard and I can take him as well."

Buck nodded to Danko who altered their heading and the forward weapons discharged.

"Shit," Tommy said with dejection as the second ship disappeared in a brilliant flash. The closed blast shield deflected the explosion away from Phoenix but rocked the ship. "Looks like it worked too good."

Danko commed the surviving ship and the pirate said not to try to take them. Buck understood that was no more than bluster. Danko touched an icon and the pirate appeared on the view screen.

Buck pressed the comm. "We're coming aboard," he said to the wrecked ship. "Our shuttle will attach to your hull. We will brook no resistance. Do so, and I will destroy you." Buck hoped that wouldn't be necessary. He wanted that ship. It should sell for some nice credits.

From five thousand meters away, Buck watched Danko and Ivan Dovacec attach the shuttle to the ship's forward hatch and boarded.

"We've got control, Captain," said Danko, now aboard their prize.

"Damage?" Buck asked anticipating the worst but hoping for the best.

"Quite a bit to the crew, Captain and some of their electronic got cooked by the blast. They didn't close the compartment and passageway hatches," a standard practice when faced with a hostile action and it didn't stop there. None of the crew wore spacesuits when the ship vented. Seven dead and that includes their captain. The bridge crew is alive."

"Lock up the survivors. Danko, take the helm and follow us. We're going home."

At sub light speed, it would take almost three months to reach Iona and the crew wasted no time letting the captain know of their dissatisfaction. However, no one from Phoenix's crew had ever piloted a ship of this design and inexperience at the helm in hyperspace created a recipe for disaster.

Yielding to the clamor, Buck took the shuttle over to his trophy. After running a series of checks on the ship's navigation system, Tommy and Buck made the necessary repairs and satisfied themselves that the ship could handle hyperspace. After intensive interrogation of the four prisoners, he decided to release them to their bridge and engineer duties, permitting both ships to cut the time home.

"Any wayward acts against the ship or Phoenix's people will earn you a one way trip through an airlock," Buck warned. He left four of his crewmen aboard—well armed.

Ten T-days later Phoenix and their prize orbited Iona. Still in the back of his mind the question lingered: how had the pirates known he would be there and the precise time?

Chapter Five:
Sebastian's Order

E
ntering orbit, Buck learned he was to report to Admiral Basselrod immediately. On the ground, he followed Admiral's orderly's gesture toward an aircar. Minutes later Buck entered Basselrod's office. "His Majesty wants me to reaffirm his position on your taking the initiative against the pirates. And I think that means you have a blank check to do what's necessary. Buck tried to hide the nervousness that engulfed him. "Admiral, the Emperor has it all wrong. Why in the galaxy me? I'm just a freighter."

"I think you said that to the Emperor. Didn't work then and it doesn't now. Captain, you have proven yourself. Try to see it as His Majesty does. Without any help, on your own, you've done what no one else has. Sebastian knows what he has asked you to do and has every confidence in his decision. Something I might add, I've never seen or heard of him doing before."

Buck shook his head in dismay. Basselrod's encouragement did little to ease his concerns. The two parted with the Admiral assuring him the assets of the Navy would be at his disposal.

Following Sebastian's edict, and Basselrod's disappearance after assuring him of the Navy's support, Buck purchased six space freighters. He would be the one to stick his head into the jaws of the Belgorian tigers. The other freighters would space closer to Iona and clean up the home front.

"Ya bragged about havin' a fleet of freighters someday and that's what ya got—six of 'em." Tommy laughed. "Amazing how things work, ain't it?"

"Yeah, but nothing like I thought it would. I haven't heard from Admiral Basselrod. What I'm doing must meet with his approval or he'd be on the horn chewing on me." Knowing the Admiral, Buck suspected the man knew his every move. The six ships Buck selected were each half again larger than Phoenix. Hidden from view at a naval overhaul station, each freighter received the same conversion: oversized engines, six energy cannons, four with limited ranging, nine degrees port, and starboard, and two with full rotation. The final additions, a large wedge on the nose along with a blast shield to cover the deception and the inertial gravity equipment.

It took some doing, but with Admiral Basselrod's help, Buck lined up five men from commercial freighters to captain his small but treacherous—for pirates—fleet. All were competent officers who had served in the Royal Space Navy. For one reason or another, each had decided on different careers. To a man, they reveled in working with the Emperor's blessing but without any military crap. That portrayal Buck kept from Admiral Basselrod. All of the Captain's selected had been out of the Navy long enough that retraining them wouldn't be that difficult or take long. As the Admiral said, 'train them to think outside the box'. Active Navy officers would be too easy to spot just by how they piloted a spaceship justifying the decision. In order for this plan to work, it had to be realistic and that meant non-military piloting as an integral important part of the deception.

As the work progressed, Buck tutored the men on the new tactics their weaponry provided. On Admiral Basselrod’s advice, he selected the deck crews from the civilian freighter ranks.

The larger ships took forty men to make up each crew. That added to his headaches as finding two hundred descent men for the other ships proved the chore he knew it would. Far too many deckhands were troublemakers, spacing aboard freighters to hide from the law or just keeping away from some angry citizen. Molly volunteered to do the job of selecting candidates and relentlessly rooted out the misfits.

With the crew selection completed, Marines came aboard and instructed them on how to use their weapons along with the does and don'ts when making or repelling a hostile boarding.

***

Ten months later, with all ships carrying the latest energy cannons, their bows and main structure modified to handle the wedges gracing each, the little fleet went through a shakedown cruise, the lead ship christened Phoenix.

Buck had the original Phoenix converted to a luxury runabout, renamed it Tranquility, and offered the captaincy to Molly but she said “maybe later” in a calm but unmistakable tone. The woman had proven her worth, never shrinking from a chore, and earned the respect of the men. More than that, she not only wanted to but also looked forward to it. The original Phoenix deck crew joined his little squadron.

Buck had opened a small office to coordinate and handle the clerical end for any business his new fleet picked up. He expected them to keep busy. Each captain would contract his hauls. As each ship called on a merchant and picked up a load, they looked for every opportunity to rid the sector of pirates.

Buck called Molly to his cabin.

A few minutes later, the buzzer sounded. He pressed the hatch icon and she stepped inside.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" She took the offered chair along with a cup of coffee eyeing Buck.

"We have a problem. I think." He paused then added, "…No, I'm certain someone aboard Phoenix is sending information on our course and everything else. That's why ships have been waiting for us when we enter normal space.

"It has to be someone from the original Phoenix crew."

"My god, Captain. I find it hard to believe. Danko, Tommy, never." She eyed Buck and asked, "You don't think it's me do you?"

Buck chuckled and then turned serious. "No, Molly." Her response assured him she had not picked up that his feelings for her were changing.

"That leaves one of four men who could be responsible."

"Or more. One could be covering for another. It would be hard enough to send a signal without someone knowing."

"What so you want me to do?" The eagerness she often displayed crept into her voice and he wondered if it was to find the traitor or maybe to please him.

"You get around the ship and the men say things to you I would never hear. I want you to find who's selling us out. Make damned sure you're not spotted. Whoever is doing this wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

Molly left after assuring Buck she would be careful. She was obviously pleased with the confidence he placed with her.

***

Selecting hauls that had the greatest appeal, like medical supplies, Buck took the routes most favored by pirates: ones seldom patrolled by Navy ships. On a course for Grisham, in hyperspace one month from Iona, Danko's comm alerted the crew. "Looks like we've got a live one, Captain, two of 'em in fact."

Buck stepped through the hatch onto the bridge, stopped at the plot board, and studied the ships. "It seems our reputation is getting around. Every attack on us they've used two ships." As pirate casualties increased, more and more pirates who normally operated as loners were running in pairs. "They're on an intercept course all right. These captains know what they're doing." He keyed the comm and reminded the crew not to get careless.

"No hail," Danko said in a tight voice. "They're going to try to overtake us. Want to give them a run for their money, Captain?"

"Just enough speed to let them know we see them but don't increase the separation."

Danko entered the sub-light power settings and Phoenix ran for ten T-hours—perhaps sufficient deception to convince the pirates. The vector was of Buck's choosing. One that would soon make the pirates regret their attempt to board him.

"Bring us about one hundred eighty degrees," Buck ordered as the pirates closed on Phoenix. "It should take us less than an hour to shed our velocity." He keyed the comm. "Okay, everyone, looks like they're going to try to take us." He ordered spacesuits with armor, lasers, and flechettes. "No blasters. We want as many ships as we can take." What went unsaid: if that weren't possible, Phoenix would destroy them.

"Looks like we can get a decent shot at them," Buck said, eyes fixed on the plot. "Continue to cut our velocity."

With the ship's attitude reversed, Phoenix's bow faced the oncoming ships, and that meant all eight energy cannons could bear on the pirates. "Tommy, are you ready?"

"Sure am, Cap'n. They'll never know what hit 'em."

Buck keyed the comm. "Approaching ships. What is your intent? We are a freighter carrying a load of fertilizer." Their real cargo was medical supplies, a treasured haul easy to sell as many planets or ships seldom asked questions, and never for papers where medicines were concerned. If they’d been alerted by the spy, the pirates knew what Phoenix really carried.

Still no answer. As the ships continued to close Buck said, "Target their cannons, Tommy."

"They're arming weapons," the electronics operator said as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"Tommy, fire."

The energy cannons locked on the trailing ship with the two rotating weapons targeted on the lead ship. Invisible, six beams of deadly, highly energized light crossed the less than one thousand kilometers, tearing a massive hole in the second ship, destroying three of its four cannons. Tommy systematically targeted the movable cannons and knocked out the lead enemy ship's weapons.

In the few seconds, it took to recharge her weapons, Phoenix bucked as she took a direct hit to its port side aft, venting the hanger/storage bay to space. Tommy pressed the trigger stud, eliminating the remaining enemy cannons.