The Burden of Command, page 40
part #14 of Empire Rising Series
The marine Sergeant nodded vigorously. “And I’m sure you know what I’m calling about. We can’t just let them slip by us. They are pirates! They probably still have the colonists they captured from Frigila on board. We need to intercept them. It is our duty.”
Jonathan didn’t reply right away. Instead, he glanced at Lydia. He found the same look on her face as on Samuels’. Both of them would be furious if he didn’t act. Even Cortez, his First Lieutenant, looked like she wanted to get her hands on the pirates and she hadn’t been at Frigila. You haven’t seen any sign of the Flex-aor, Jonathan reminded himself. And if they have a scout ship reconning the system, a scuffle between one Imperial destroyer and three pirate ships isn’t really going to deter them. Taking a deep breath, he nodded as he turned back to Samuels. “All right, we’re going to take them. Inform Major Onoda, ready your marines.” With a tap, Jonathan ended the COM channel. When he looked up, every one of his bridge officers were staring at him. “Those pirates have killed innocent humans and taken others captive. We’re going to liberate them if we can, and put an end to their evil. We’ll remain in stealth for now, alter course to seven seven four point five. Let’s get a little closer before we reveal ourselves.”
“Aye Captain,” Cortez said enthusiastically as she broke into a grin. “You heard the Captain people, we’re about to get our hands on some pirates!”
As his destroyer turned to put itself in front of the pirate ships’ trajectory, Jonathan couldn’t help but be drawn back to the days he had spent on board Python, slowly approaching the Frigila system. With Python’s shift drive down, he had been forced to watch the three pirate ships close with Frigila and enter orbit. His imagination had been filled with all the despicable things the pirates would have been getting up to while he had been forced to watch helplessly. As it turned out, the pirates hadn’t done anything more than lock the colony down in an attempt to force them to join the secessionist cause. At least not then, but they had done just what Jonathan had feared and worse since. Well, now you’re going to pay, he thought towards the pirate ships. Only then did he realize his hands were still in tight balls. With an effort, he forced himself to relax. Though Achilles was far more powerful than Python had been even before she had been damaged, the three pirate ships were still a threat. He needed to focus and make sure they didn’t slip away from him.
For an hour and a half, Achilles continued in stealth as she moved to place herself in front of the pirate ships. When she was in position, Jonathan ordered her brought to a halt. Then everyone on the bridge waited as the pirates closed with them. The moment the pirate ships entered mark VII missile range, Jonathan began to give orders. “Bring up our active sensors. Take us towards them. Transmit the surrender message.”
Understandably, the pirate ships began to alter course as soon as they detected Achilles. Decelerating hard, they tried to turn towards a different shift passage. They had a serious problem though; their momentum was still carrying them towards Jonathan’s ship and Achilles had a significant acceleration advantage to boot.
“They should have received our surrender demand thirty seconds ago Captain,” Lieutenant Rutherford reported. “Still no sign of a reply.”
“Give them another minute, and then fire a warning shot,” Jonathan ordered.
When the time came and went, Cortez looked over to Jonathan. He gave his First Lieutenant a nod. In response, a single missile was released from one of Achilles’ forward tubes. It took twelve minutes to race after the nearest pirate ship. Just before it got into attack range, Jonathan opened a COM channel. “Pirate ships, I am Captain Jonathan Somerville. Cut your engines now, or be destroyed.”
“They’re not slowing down,” Schmidt complained.
Jonathan waited almost to the last second. He cursed when neither of the three pirate ships slowed. “Self-destruct the missile,” he snapped.
“We’re being hailed now,” Rutherford announced seconds later. “Audio and visual.”
As the holo projector switched from showing the pirate ships, a man in his late fifties with a bushy grey beard leered at Jonathan. “You need to work on your bluffing Captain,” he said with a chuckle. “You guessed right though; I do have captives on board.” Pausing, the man nodded to someone off screen. Rough voices could be heard shouting something, and then several women and children shuffled into view. “If you destroy us, you will be killing them. Let us go, or I will kill them myself.” The pirate leaned forward and stared at Jonathan. “Unlike you, I don’t bluff. Break off your pursuit or they all die.”
“Wait,” Jonathan said desperately as the pirate’s hand moved toward his command chair to end the COM channel. “The secessionists who surrendered at New Delhi, they were offered immunity from prosecution for their crimes if they surrendered their ships to the Imperial Fleet to help defend against the Flex-aor. I can offer you the same deal. Surrender, handover your captives and allow us to add your ships to the forces defending this sector of Imperial space, and you will be set free.”
The pirate laughed. He gestured to the three other pirates who were aiming plasma rifles at the women and children. “What do you think I or they would do without our ships? You take them, and you will turn us into beggars. That is, if you even let us live at all.” He half-turned and spat onto the bridge of his ship. “No, I never trust the word of an Imperial Captain. Turn around, or you will be responsible for killing all these and more,” he said as he waved a hand towards the women and children. Before Jonathan could reply, he cut the COM channel.
Cortez swore at the pirate. “If it wasn’t for those civilians, I’d blow his ship to debris whether he surrendered or not!” She hissed. Jonathan shared her sentiment.
“What are your orders Captain?” Lydia asked.
Jonathan bit his lip. The women and children were probably all going to be sold into slavery if they were taken away. It didn’t take much imagination to guess what kind of slavery. A fate worse than death, he thought to himself. “We are not letting them take those women and children,” he said to his bridge officers. “We can’t stop them from killing them now. If they do, we will avenge their deaths. But I will not be told what to do by scum like that. Continue the pursuit. We will close to energy weapon range and disable their engines. Then Major Onoda and Sergeant Samuels can deal with them.”
“Understood. I’m sure Samuels will have no complaints,” Lydia said. Jonathan nodded at the look on her face. If Samuels had just heard the pirate’s threats, Jonathan had no doubt Lydia was correct.
For fifteen minutes, Jonathan patiently waited as Achilles drew closer and closer to the pirate ships. The sudden blaring of alarms was accompanied by fourteen new contacts appearing on the holo display. “They’ve just opened fire!” Schmidt announced.
“I see them,” Jonathan replied calmly. After facing off against a Flex-aor fleet of seven hundred ships, fourteen pirate missiles was not nearly so concerning. “Deploy our sensor and laser cannon drones. Prepare to engage.”
Jonathan watched in approval as his officers efficiently prepared to defend Achilles. Long range AM missiles were the first weapons to be fired. Then the rest of Achilles’ point defenses joined in as they were able. None of the pirate missiles came close to threatening the Imperial destroyer. Moments after the last one was destroyed however, the pirates fired again. Like the first salvo, Achilles’ defenses easily dispatched them. That didn’t stop the pirates firing for a third time. They were just as unsuccessful though.
“We’ll be entering energy weapon range in thirty seconds,” Schmidt announced. “Laser cannons set to half strength and are trained on target Sierra one.”
“Fire one shot at a time,” Jonathan requested. “I don’t want to cause any more damage than necessary.”
“Understood,” Schmidt responded.
As soon as Achilles came into range, a single laser beam shot off towards Sierra one. Despite the evasive maneuvers the pirate ships had begun, it struck Sierra one’s engines dead center. Two of the pirate ship’s three engines immediately ceased producing thrust. A couple of seconds later, a small secondary explosion destroyed the third. Sierra one began to drift under its own momentum. Schmidt turned his fire onto Sierra two. His first shot missed. The second struck home. Momentarily Sierra two continued accelerating but then a third beam ended the pirate ship’s attempted escape.
“Hold fire,” Jonathan ordered. “Send the surrender message one more time.” If he could, he wanted to capture at least one of the pirate ships intact. He waited thirty seconds for a reply, but none came. Then, the final pirate ship turned and fired three more missiles at Achilles. “Take out its engines,” Jonathan snapped. Two beams fired in quick succession stopped the final pirate ship in its track. “Bring us up behind Sierra one,” Jonathan said. “Use our point defensive plasma cannons to take out all of its defensive weapons. Once they’re cleared, give Major Onoda the go ahead to launch his shuttles.”
In the space of just three minutes, Achilles closed with Sierra one. More than sixty small plasma bolts were fired towards the stricken ship. Small explosions ripped up and down her hull as every defensive laser cannon was destroyed. Then four shuttles launched from Achilles’ two hangar bays. Jonathan pulled up the visual feed from Sergeant Samuels. As her shuttle docked with Sierra one, he wasn’t the least bit surprised to see her take point. He could easily imagine the anger at the pirates that was running through Becca. In a flash, she moved into the pirate ship as soon as the docking hatch opened. Jonathan could hardly keep up with what was happening as she led her special forces marines through the pirate ship. At breakneck speed, they moved down corridors, cleared several living quarters, and then made for the bridge. By Jonathan’s count, Becca had dispatched three pirates herself. The rest of her squad had possibly got as many as five more.
When they got to the bridge, Becca paused and gestured to her squad mates. Jonathan guessed she already had a good view of what was happening on the bridge, thanks to the recon nano drones she would have launched. One of Becca’s marines placed a small charge on the hatch into the bridge. Then they all took cover. Barely a second after the explosion detonated, grenades were thrown through the broken hatch doors. Then Becca charged in. The scene that greeted her made her freeze. Jonathan held his breath. The pirate Captain was there. He had two women held in front of him, a plasma pistol firmly pressed against one of their temples. The other pirates had plasma rifles trained at a group of children as well. Jonathan didn’t have the audio turned on, but he could see the pirate Captain’s mouth moving. It wasn’t hard to imagine what he was saying.
Ever so slightly, one of Becca’s fingers holding her plasma rifle twitched back-and-forth. Jonathan was sure she was giving her squad some kind of order. Another couple of seconds passed as the Marines and pirates stared at one another. Then Becca sprang into action. Diving forward and to her left, she slid along the bridge’s deck. Her movement gave her just enough of an angle to sight her plasma rifle in on the pirate Captain’s left leg. Even as she was still moving, she blew out his knee. Almost as if he was watching it in slow motion, Jonathan saw the pirate scream in agony. Both his hands flew towards his wrecked leg. As they did, he stumbled back. Before he made it even half a step, two more plasma bolts blew right through his chest. Becca was back on her feet in the blink of an eye. When the group of children came back into view, both pirates who had been threatening them were also down. Quickly, Becca and her Marines moved throughout the rest of the bridge. Two more pirates were discovered hiding, both threw down their weapons when the marines came into view. Becca then began to move around the bridge accessing its control panel. Leaving her to it, Jonathan switched to see the visual from Major Onoda. It looked like he was rounding up surrendered pirates as well.
After another minute or so, Onoda opened a COM channel to Jonathan. “The pirate ship is secure,” he reported. “Thankfully, it appears none of the prisoners were killed. Though some have been beaten up a little, and they haven’t been looked after well at all. We can begin transferring them over to Achilles now. Ten minutes or so, and I’ll have my marines ready for the next assault.”
“Good work Captain,” Jonathan replied. “What about casualties?”
“Two marines have been hit with plasma bolts. Their armor absorbed most of the damage. They’re already on their way to sickbay. I don’t think either are in life-threatening conditions.”
Jonathan nodded. “Glad to hear it. Keep me updated.” He then turned his attention to the two other pirate ships that were drifting uncontrollably. “Prepare to close with Sierra three. We’ll destroy its point defensive weapons and close with it next,” he ordered. “Oh, and why don’t we send the visual feed from Sergeant Samuels’ boarding of Sierra one to them. Maybe that will encourage them to surrender.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Lydia replied with a grin. “I wouldn’t want her coming after me!”
When his COM unit beeped again. Jonathan activated it, expecting it to be Onoda. Instead Becca’s voice spoke to him. “I’m transferring some files to you,” she said. “You’re going to want to see this. One of the pirates surrendered. He was a bridge officer. He wants to trade this information for his freedom. I think I know why the three ships were hightailing it through the system so fast. Look at what they saw in the Plankton system.”
In front of Jonathan, the holo display blinked and then changed to show twenty-two large contacts. Achilles’ computer didn’t recognize them. Yet it did the fifty or so other smaller ships moving around the larger ones. They were Flex-aor cruisers and destroyers. But if they are cruisers, Jonathan thought to himself, what on earth are the bigger ones? The larger contacts were massive compared to the cruisers. Far bigger than Flex-aor battleships. Even considerably larger than an Imperial dreadnought. No wonder the pirates were fleeing so fast! But they can’t be warships, Jonathan reasoned. If they were, they would have used them against New Delhi. Tender ships, he figured. Bringing fuel and fresh munitions to their fleet. When Jonathan noticed the course of the large contacts, he sat up in his command chair. They weren’t heading towards the shift passage out of the Plankton system. They were heading towards one of its gas giants. It’s a rendezvous point. It has to be! That meant the Flex-aor fleet would be moving there to meet with them. We have to get word back to New Delhi! “Have those other two pirate ships responded to Becca’s visuals?” Jonathan demanded, suddenly aware that time was of the essence.
“Sierra three has,” Lydia replied. “They are willing to surrender and allow themselves to be taken into custody.”
“Tell the others we will show them no mercy,” Jonathan ordered. “Either they surrender, or they all die. Contact Onoda. Tell him to evacuate Sierra one. I want everyone off and on-board Achilles ASAP. Move us towards Sierra two.” As orders were carried out, Jonathan made another decision. “Order the surrendered pirate ship to assemble all their crew and captives in their hangar bay. We are sending over shuttles to them. I want them all taken off immediately.”
“What are you thinking Captain?” Cortez asked. “Those contacts are too large to be warships surely?”
“You’re right,” Jonathan replied. “That means they are probably supply ships. If they are, you know what that means?”
Cortez nodded. “It means we have them!”
Jonathan gave his First Lieutenant a predatory grin. That was exactly what it meant.
“The other pirate ship has now surrendered as well,” Lydia reported.
“Send shuttles to them as well, get all their captives off,” James replied.
Just eight minutes later, and all of the captives were on board Achilles. Jonathan was shocked when he was told there were one hundred and six of them. The pirates had clearly stuffed their ships to the gills with human cargo. “Major Onoda reports his marines are ready to launch again, and secure and search the remaining two pirate ships,” Cortez reported.
“Tell his marines to stand down,” Jonathan ordered. “We are not securing any of the pirate ships. Charge up the plasma cannons. I want each of them melted to slag. I don’t want a trace of them left behind. They are too slow for us to take with us and I don’t want any Flex-aor scouts discovering them. Blast them, and then get us out of here. Set course for New Delhi. We must get word to Admiral Davenport. We may not know where the Flex-aor fleet is, but we know where it’s going!”
Chapter 34
As the Short Peace came to an end, it must have seemed to our Empire’s founders that enemy after enemy were rising up against them. If only they could have seen what was around the corner.
-Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.
IS Achilles, 13th January 2509 AD, (seven days later).
Jonathan’s face lit up as Achilles jumped into the New Delhi system. His destroyer’s sensors were picking up a whole host of new contacts. Admiral Davenport’s reinforcements had arrived! “They are just in time,” Jonathan said as he shared a smile with Cortez and Lydia. “Transmit our message and take us into the system.”
“Aye Captain,” Lieutenant Scholes said from the navigation console.
