Galactic Council Realm 3: On Guard Read online

  Her aim was perfect as two steps later I jumped from the chamber into the airlock tube. Heavy Rain’s big boots were getting closer as I pulled myself along the tube. Before I collided with them, he reached the DS, dropped to the deck, and turned to face me.

  I pulled hard on the airlock tube and rapidly approached the GunShip. At the hatch, Heavy Rain placed his hands on either side of my chest and lifted me over his head. I started to protest. Before I could lodge a complaint, he handed me off to Thunder Eagle.

  She carried me over her head for three steps before dropping me over the back of the pilot’s seat.

  “Time to go J-Pop,” she said, “sorry for the rough treatment.”

  I didn’t reply. My hands flew over the instrument panel and the ion cannons responded.

  “Retract the airlock tube,” Thunder Eagle ordered.

  “What about Warlock and the others?” I asked.

  “Stone Angel’s on board. Warlock and Fire Dove are in the tube.”

  Their armor would protect them from the void but, I hesitated. The idea of being in a dangling airlock tube, with the vacuum behind me, and safety meters away made me shiver. I hated airlock tubes. I fought off my phobia and I keyed in the retraction order.

  I eased the Deep Space GunShip away from the Constabulary vessel. Not knowing what other ships were in the area, I kept close to the big ship. Also, a little recon would give us some specifications on the ship. It was part intelligence gathering and part caution. And as it turned out, a really good idea.

  “Everyone’s on board,” Heavy Rain announced to my relief, “The hatch is secured.”

  As he finished speaking, two separate scans registered on my screen. Both had come from the far side of the big Constabulary ship. Neither were Galactic Council Realm vessels.

  A towed array wraps its scan signal around the transmitting ships’ body. The reverse image I detected revealed the scanning ships’ shape. Both scans informed me that two Constabulary Patrol Boats were converging on the big ship.

  “Stone Angel, triangulate those signals,” I requested as I turned the DS away from the Constabulary ships.

  I needed the spot where the big ship hid us from the two approaching Patrol Boats. Stone Angel could figure the vertex by drawing lines from the two ships and converging them at a point in space behind the big ship.

  “Sending the blind spot,” Stone Angel reported barely a minute later.

  I eased the DS to the spot. As we idled, I did some down and dirty astrological math. Nearby was a cluster of space rocks and asteroids. Further out sat a dead world and beyond it a few more space rocks. The area was a navigational nightmare which meant it was empty of Galactic Council crafts and a good place to hid a Deep Space GunShip. If we could reach one of the big orbiting masses without being detected.

  “Not to state the obvious, but we’re out of time,” warned Stone Angel, “Any minute now one of those Patrol Boats is going to get a lock on us.”

  I glanced at the screen and decided which ship would find us first. Her, I avoided by applying power and angling off in the other direction. The DS was dashing for a specific asteroid. If we weren’t picked up on the enemy’s scanners, we’d have a moving barricade. If not, we’d have a fight.

  Our escape was aided when the big ship vented gases and small pieces of plating into space. Although Heavy Rain’s explosion wouldn’t destroy the big ship, it must have been enough to confuse the Constabulary Patrol Boats. They didn’t track us.

  On my passive scan the orbiting asteroid had appeared oval in shape. In fact, it was an asymmetrical asteroid. Duck shaped with a slow spin. The trouble was the rotation tumbled the small end in our direction. For part of its spin, the small end left the DS visible, then as it tumbled, the large end would completely block us from the Constabulary’s scanners.

  I was kept busy adjusting the DS to keep us in the deepest shadow.

  “Stone Angel, I need a quick route out of this sector,” I called out.

  The big Striker slid into the cockpit and leaned his back against the control panel.

  “J-Pop, I’m a Striker, not a navigator,” he stated quietly, “I do dabble in astrological mathematics however, I’ve never actually plotted a course.”

  “You’re not a pilot either,” I said. As I divided my attention, first speaking to the Striker, then adjusting the DS to keep the asteroid between the Constabulary and us. I stated, “Right now, I’d trust your math and judgement before I’d trust your piloting. Find us a route.”

  “Alert,” he replied and began tapping furiously on a tablet.

  An hour later, he exhaled as if he’d been holding his breath.

  “There’s a big hot planet in the Dos sector,” he said swiping across the tablet’s screen, “I used it as a termination point. If we wait an hour, we have a clear path to it.”

  I looked at a side screen where he’d sent the trek via the swipe. It was tight going between a few orbiting bodies but other than those, we’d have no problem. He’d plotted a good course.

  “Send it to the computer,” I ordered as I once again jockeyed the Deep Space GunShip in an attempt to adjust to our spinning cover.

  “Warlock, come up here,” I said.

  The Striker team leader slid into the cockpit on the other side from Stone Angel.

  “What’s up J-Pop?” she asked as if we were on a pleasure cruise.

  I recognized the tension lines around her eyes and appreciated her nonchalant approach. She seemed so relaxed, I relaxed a bit in response.

  “Oh, just a little white knuckle flying,” I replied, “In an hour, we’re going to be leaving this sector. Leaving as fast as I can sync the power and the clocks. Make sure everyone’s strapped in.”

  “Aye Sir. You’re much better,” she observed.

  “Yeah, about that. Why did you have Thunder Eagle babysitting me?” I asked.

  “Because, back on the Constabulary ship, Stone Angel and Heavy Rain were stacked and entered the corridor together,” she stated, “They were both in position for a long time before you uncloaked. Heavy Rain was staring at you and finally made a joke to get your attention.”

  “Were my reactions that slow?” I asked.

  “Yes and the whites of your eyes were fluctuating,” she said, “First you’d have no iris and a second later they would appear before shrinking again. If I’d had another Striker, I’d have sent you back to the DS.”

  “But you didn’t. Why?”

  “Once your mask was back on, you seemed to level out,” she said holding out her palms as if to say, what else could I do?

  I’d been on a Constabulary ship before and had longer exposure to the ketone tainted atmosphere. It had never affected me before this time. The only difference was my new sensitivity to the spores of Heart Plants.

  “Those Patrol Boats are beginning a grid search of the area,” Stone Angel alerted us, “It’s going to be close when we launch.”

  The searching vessels weren’t banging the area with power scans. If the Galactic Council Navy was looking for a spacecraft, every ship in the vicinity would be ringing like a bell from the power surges. These Constabulary ships had only done one power scan.

  I decided to slip away before the Patrol Boats started to search the area around our asteroid. While they were at the extreme edges of their search grid, I broke away and ran half power to the Internal drive. On board it was loud, but deep in space, it left no trace of our passing.

  We cleared the area and I began to relax. The Patrol Boats were long beyond passive scanner range so we’d gotten away without a fight. So far, it was a perfect escape from a bad situation. As we reached the hour launch window, I applied more power to the Internal drive. The DS was approaching eighty percent internal power and climbing steadily. Soon, I’d bring the External drive online.

  “Yellow ion signatures,” Stone Angel announced, “Big ones. Not Patrol Boats.”

  “I see them,” I replied, “Too far behind to spot us. Unless they go t
o power scans.”

  We watched as two of the big Constabulary ships evolved. They were far apart, much farther than was necessary for safety between two ships.

  I applied power to the External drive and both clocks began to run out of time. More power and the Internal ran up to its max and the External started to climb.

  The wide zone between the ships was dogging at the back of my mind as I watched the clocks and power gages. I’d seen that spacing before and recently. It didn’t become clear until the Striker sang out.

  “Blue ion signature,” he reported, “Really big and right between the two.”

  Now I recalled where I’d seen the formation. I’d seen the spacing when the ships tracking the Ander El Aitor made room for the Constabulary Carrier. Had the battle group dispatched the Galactic Council Navy BattleShip and evolved to this area? It didn’t seem logical to run here if they’d just won a space battle. I wondered if it was a second Carrier group.

  A power scan slammed into the hull of the DS and she rang as if an iron skillet had been struck by a metal spoon. I slammed External power to maximum. One clock slowed and the other began running in circles.

  “They’ve got a beam on us,” Stone Angel informed me.

  I adjusted the heading, eased off Internal power a few notches until the powers were close. My clocks approached a sync and I poured full power to both drives. The clocks neared a time match then synced and we evolved to External power. Yellow ions flowed over the screens and the Deep Space GunShip left the sector.

  Chapter 29

  “That, J-Pop, was a second Carrier,” Stone Angel stated confirming my suspicions.

  I pushed my stiff body out of the pilot’s seat and relinquished the Bridge to Stone Angel. As I stretched out the stiffness and knots in my muscles, Councilor Peng and Warlock closed in on me.

  “Did he say there was a second Carrier?” Shi Peng asked. “if so why didn’t it join in the battle with our BattleShip?”

  “Aye Sir, it was,” I replied, “A Carrier and at least three Escorts. As to why they didn’t fight, I don’t know?’

  “Don’t forget about the limited scans, Lieutenant,” Stone Angel said from the cockpit.

  “What’s he talking about?” the Councilor asked. “Limited scans?”

  “The Escort ship that caught us,” I explained, “didn’t do a full power scan. It’s why we caught them by surprise with our Strikers. Also, the Patrol Boats were careful to run only one power scan. It’s how we got away. I just don’t know why they’re being so secretive.”

  “Let me try this out,” Councilor Peng ventured. “Admiral Haitham sent a burst message with the strength of the forces facing the Ander El Aitor. If the second Constabulary battle group had been in on the engagement, Command Station would know about them. Add to that, they didn’t run power scans. If I remember correctly, power scans can be picked up by passing Galactic Council Merchant ships. I surmise, the second battle group is hiding.”

  Warlock and I stared at the old man. He’d gotten part of the puzzle figured out.

  “Why hide a weapon?” I asked. “The engagement with our BattleShip would have been over quickly if both Carriers had brought their attack assets to the fight.”

  “Maybe they’re heading for planet Dos?” Councilor Pend stated, “They have Tres, why not Dos?”

  “Because they didn’t fight for planet Tres,” I explained, “Councilor Khalida Jalal invited them to take the planet.”

  “Gentlemen, why do you hide a weapon?” Warlock asked then answered, “To spring it on an unsuspecting foe. Planet Dos, Planet Uno and Command Station have war ships. One Constabulary battle group couldn’t do much more than dent our Navy. So, I believe we’re looking for a Galactic Council Realm asset without a lot of Navy protection.”

  “Sergeant, you might consider the sector their using,” Stone Angel added from the cockpit, “Their target is probably close to their area of operation.”

  I pulled up a graphic of the Tres sector. All the mining, smelting and separating of ores took place on the far side of the sector. Other than Planet Tres, there was nothing of value in the remaining areas.

  I looked at the farthest edge of space between the Tres and Dos sectors. Dead planets, space rocks and asteroids were the inhabitants. Nothing had a permanent home this deep in the Realm. I switched to orbiting Stations including Mercantile Stations. None of the moon size orbiting supply platforms would orbit in this area of the sectors for years. Just when I was about to discount the idea of the target being in this sector, I saw it.

  “I believe we have the Constabulary’s target,” I blurted out, “We didn’t think of it because of its size and varied orbit.”

  “What have you got, Sir?” Warlock asked.

  “It’s Construction Station,” I stated.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Councilor Peng scolded, “What would they do with it? And, how would they hold it if it were captured?”

  “Construction Station is under protected,” I advised the old Councilor, “Most of its Naval ships are Patrol Boats. Plus, they spend most of their time away guarding the merchant routes against Pirates. There are only a few in orbit at the Station at any given time.”

  “Alright, the Constabulary takes Construction Station,” Councilor Peng agreed at first than turned the conclusion against it, “But how would they keep it? And what would they do with it? Our Navy would sweep them clear in a week. It may be a good public relations’ ploy, but nothing more.”

  I was about to get into an argument with a Councilor of the Galactic Council Realm. Shi Peng was a powerful man and to cross him could lead to a charge of treason and a quick exit out of an airlock.

  “If I might Councilor,” Warlock said and I was happy and apprehensive at the same time. Would I be joined in the assisted airlock venting by the Striker team leader? She pushed on despite the risks. “The Carrier could be mated with Construction Station. This would free up her fighter assets. With a mothership as big as Construction, they’d have no problem controlling all the quadrants around it.”

  “But surely, the Realm citizens and Marines on Construction Station would resist,” Peng stated proudly having found an argument to support his premise.

  “The Marines would and they’d be killed or captured before surrendering,” I said calmly, “As for the citizens, they’ve recently found a number of reasons to distrust the Galactic Council. Citizens resist? No Sir, threaten their families and the mechanics and shipwrights at Construction would gladly patch up and repair battle damaged Constabulary’s warships.”

  “I’m still not convinced,” the old Councilor scowled, “But I have two experts telling me Construction Station is the target. I’ll go with your conclusion for now. How soon until I can speak with Command Station?”

  “Seven weeks,” I replied, “Maybe less once we’re back on track after this detour.”

  “How soon until Construction Station is in this sector?” he asked.

  “Nine to twelve weeks,” I estimated, “Unless the Constabulary battle group goes after it sooner.”

  “Do what you can,” he ordered, “Cut corners, break the laws of physics, whatever you can do, Lieutenant Piran. But get me into direct contact with Command Station as soon as possible.”

  “Aye Sir,” I replied.

  Stone Angel and I spent the next four days going over charts and doing calculations. Finally, the Striker lifted his eyes from the screen and shook his head.

  “We can cut twenty-nine days from the journey,” he stated pointing at the screen, “If you’ll skirt the star.”

  We’d gone over route after route and kept coming back to one dangerous solution. It involved a close run near a violent and volatile star. The trip was possible if we didn’t encounter a Coronal Mass Ejection. If we did, the Deep Space GunShip would be a melting alloy coffin for a flash before it dissolved. There wouldn’t even be space debris left to mark our graves.

  There was a reason the route would cut days from our trip
. There were no orbiting objects to plot. Everything around the star had already been vaporized by the ejected plasma of electrons, protons and the accompanying radio waves, X-rays and free ions. A survey ship watching for flair ups might survive by running but, they’d be on Internal drive and watching for signs. We’d be blind and on External drive.

  The only obstacles were long traveling space rocks caught in the star’s gravity. Those I could plot for and thread the DS through. It was the unknown plasma hands reaching out to destroy us that couldn’t be anticipated.

  What had Councilor Peng said? “Break the laws of physics.”

  I wondered how he felt about, ‘Applying the law of total probability.’ Fundamentally, we’d gamble that during the transition of the Deep Space GunShip across the surface of the star, the marginal probability of a Coronal Mass Ejection event could be relegated to a conditional probability.

  How did I plan to put a condition on a random C.M.E. event? By decreasing our time in the danger zone.

  Distance in space is measure by time and power. I needed a few hours to work on the power aspect. Time is time, I couldn’t adjust it. The only problem was if the power failed due to my tampering, we’d be gone. Just gone.

  Turning to Stone Angel, I voiced my agreement, “You’re correct. It’s the star route. But once we go to Internal drive, I need to make some changes in our ion cannons.”

  “Aye Sir, you’ve got three hours until Internal evolution,” he advised me, “Or we run into the big hot planet.”

  “That’s some terminal point you picked for the plot,” I said teasing the big Striker.

  “Told you, I’m a Striker,” he admitted, “Not a navigator.”

  “Alert,” I responded.

  Chapter 30

  I powered up the Internal drive, matched clocks, and we evolved smoothly to Internal drive. As soon as the screens cleared of yellow ions, they were filled with images of a giant red planet. It was close but not close enough to be dangerous. I began a banking turn. We’d orbit the planet a few times, take on a new heading, and after a run under External drive, converge with Admiral Tuulia’s original course.