The Deadly Pact Page 9

  Hultz straightened his uniform and turned to face Kri. “Sir, the stresses on space-time the point to point drive creates are predictable and unique. By carefully observing the interactions between known stellar masses and the expected location of the Loki, we should be able to track her at extremely long ranges.”

  “How long is extremely long, Mister Hultz?”

  “I’m not sure, sir, but I think we can track her to a range in excess of five hundred light years. A system like the one back at Lashmere might be able to go a lot farther. It’s a much bigger system. We’ll have to modify some of our drones to work in tandem with the sensors. We’ll also have to be looking at pretty much the correct part of space at the moment she makes a jump. If we miss it, then we’ve lost her.”

  “I’ll take any advantage we can get. Any ideas on how much longer her cooldown will be?”

  “We’re estimating it at five to eight times as long, sir,” Taylor said. Her eyes flickering between Kri and her console.

  “Very well. Mister Dowd, please begin plotting a series of jumps to Simmons’ last known destination. Let’s hope she thinks we either can’t or won’t follow her. Exec, get me on comms with Lashmere command. I need to let them know we’ll be out of comm range.”

  A moment later, Admiral Misato’s face appeared on the main plot. “What can I do for you, Captain?”

  “Sir, we think we’ve figured out how Simmons made a two hundred light year jump. I’m sending our notes over for naval research to take a look at. My intention is to pursue Loki and capture Commander Simmons. Her destination system appears to be a viable refueling source. We’re about sixteen hours behind her at this moment. We may also have come up with a way to track her movements, but we’ll need to confirm her location to be sure. If she’s departed her destination system already, then she is likely gone.”

  “I may have some help for you there, Captain,” Misato said. “I’m sending you a copy of her computer access records and movements along with a thorough analysis of her goals and intentions based on the information. It looks like she’s going after old Terran Empire research facilities. The brief from Lashmere Intel should be of assistance in predicting her movements. You are authorized to pursue and capture Commander Simmons at your discretion, Captain. Good hunting.”

  “Thank you, sir. Captain Kri out.” The main plot blanked, and Kri looked at Dowd. Have you got my first jump ready?”

  “Yes, sir. Commander Taylor has the calculations for validation,” Dowd said. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his head vigorously. “I worked up a series of jumps and refueling points along the path. We’ll have to make eight jumps with an average distance of thirty-one point two light years each. We have refueling points at most of our stops, but we’ll only need to refuel twice to make the trip.”

  “We can make a lot more than eight jumps on a full fuel load,” Kri said.

  “Yes, sir, but our current safety guidelines don’t allow us to go below half before refueling is mandatory.”

  “Okay. Power up the point to point drive and execute jump once Miss Taylor has your calculations confirmed.”

  “Aye, sir,” Dowd said. The repetition of orders passed back and forth across the bridge, confirming the jump and a few moments later, Damocles left through its jump ring.

  Kri watched the sensor display clear and said, “Position report.”

  “We’re at the expected coordinates, sir. I-“

  “Contact close aboard, sir,” Hultz said, interrupting the operations officer. “It looks like a ship. It’s less than ten thousand meters from our port bow.”

  “Helm turn us away from the ship. Get the main plot updated,” Kri said, his voice coming out far more calmly than he felt. He watched the plot come up to display a ship with an unfamiliar design. “Are they underway?”

  “No, sir. They’re at rest relative to the system primary,” Dowd said.

  Kri nodded and said, “Very well. Put the ship on the main plot and give me a tactical analysis, Mister Hultz.”

  “Aye, sir,” Hultz replied. The screen changed to show a wide delta shaped ship with a pair of tall towers rising from the upper hull. The leading edge of the delta was studded with sensors and weapons tubes. “We’re getting a signal from the ship. It looks like comms.”

  “Run it through the language processor. See if we can get a translation.”

  “Aye, sir,” Taylor said. She took over the task from Dowd and started working her console with swift competence. A moment later, she said, “I’m getting a recognized language from the Alliance database. It’s something called ‘Etyrni’.”

  “Very well. Put the signal through to the main plot,” Kri said. A moment later the plot turned on, and a man who looked human appeared on the screen. He was oddly broad and had a shockingly ostentatious costume on. A large hat with a turned up brim and several feathers sticking out of it sat atop bright red hair. Dark brown eyes peered penetratingly at Kri. The man also had a thick handlebar mustache over his mouth. A dark green coat with a heavy bandolier covered the man’s chest, and a white blouse was visible between the lapels.

  “And just who might you be to appear so suddenly?” The man’s voice was deep and rumbled as he projected loudly into the Damocles’ bridge.

  “I’m Captain Halford Kri of the Lashmere Naval Ship Damocles. To whom am I speaking?”

  “You may address me at Captain Tirikitirik of the good ship Laughing Jijik.” The man chewed at his mustache for a second before continuing. “You look to be Etyrni but I don’t recognize your ship. Which species are you?”

  “We’re not Etyrni. We’re human. What-“

  As soon as the word human left Kri’s mouth, Tirikitirik’s eyes widened in shock. His voice bellowed out in a grandiose tone. “Humans? Bah! There’s no such thing as humans. You’re lying to me.”

  Kri and Taylor exchanged confused looks. Kri said, “I can assure you I’m not lying. Our kind has survived on a single planet for the last five thousand years.”

  Tirikitirik seemed unimpressed with Kri’s statement. “You lying fiend!” He turned and addressed someone outside the visual range of his transmission. “Ready all weapons! Destroy that ship!”

  Kri’s thoughts froze for a split second before he barked out, “Battle stations, combat launch all drones.”

  Tirikitirik was still shouting. “We will end your scourge, foul villains! Prepare for your demise!” He stood with a hand upraised in an almost laughable pose. The theatrics of his movements were so overdone that they would have been comical, had the situation been less serious. “Your kind have no place in the Etyrni Empire!”

  Kri turned to look at Taylor who looked just as baffled at Kri felt. He slapped the transmit button again. “Wait, what have we done to you?”

  Tirikitirik’s face leaned close to the visual pickup. “Speaking untruths without honor, fiend.” He turned to address his crew again. “Fire all weapons.”

  Kri released the transmit key and said, “Defensive formation on all drones. What kind of weapons does he seem to be using, Mister Hultz?”

  “Not sure, yet, sir. So far the energy reading indicates he uses some kind of directed energy weapon. He’s firing, sir.” Six drones vaporized as the energy weapons flashed through their defensive fire as though it wasn’t there. “Adjusting interceptor parameters.” A second volley from the Laughing Jijik was slowed down but not stopped. Six more drones fell out of formation, badly damaged.

  “Keep at it, Mister Hultz. Warm up the main cannon,” Kri said. What had humans ever done to these people? He looked back up at the main display. Just in time to see the pattern of fire change and bypass the drones completely. “Brace!” Kri shouted just as Damocles shuddered. Damage alarms blared, and the all too familiar scroll of damaged systems began along the side of the main plot.

  “Beginning evasive maneuvers, sir,” Taylor said. Her eyes fixed on concentration. “Minor damage to forward hull armor and sensors. We’re still at full combat effectivenes
s.”

  “Very well. Get the combat computer analyzing his fire control, Mister Hultz.”

  “I’m working on it, sir. Do you think we can start going to places where people don’t want to blast us out of existence?”

  “Let’s deal with this situation first, Mister Hultz.” Damocles shook again as a second set of shots got through the massed defensive fire. “Fire the main gun as soon as possible, Exec. Maybe we can get them to stop shooting.”

  “Aye, sir. Firing now.”

  Damocles’ main gun was several times more powerful than the one carried aboard Rampart. Nothing in the Alliance database was demonstrably effective at resisting its energy discharge. The shot rang out, and everyone on the bridge looked on in shock as the ball of energy widened and dissipated just short of the Laughing Jijik.

  Another series of blows came in on Damocles’ bow. “We’ve got casualties in the forward boat bay, sir. That last shot got through to the ready room,” Taylor said. “What happened with the main gun?”

  “I’m not sure. Anything on sensors?”

  Dowd said, “We got some sort of gravity distortion just before the shot went home, sir. It looks like a defensive system.”

  “I recommend we withdraw, sir,” Taylor said. “Our drone shots aren’t getting through either, and we’re in danger of receiving some serious damage.” She glanced at her console. “One dead and seven wounded in the forward boat bay, sir.”

  “Very well. Plot me a tactical jump outside of weapons range but still in comms range. Make it thirty light minutes.

  “Aye, sir,” Taylor said, her fingers flashing madly across her console. A few seconds later, she said, “Jump coordinates on the board, sir.”

  “Jump as calculated, Exec,” Kri said. Damocles shuddered as another volley of shots went through the defensive fire as it went through the jump ring. Once the jump ring closed, Kri said, “Hail Captain Tirikitirik.”

  A moment later, the red-headed captain was once again displayed on the main plot. “Why do you flee, coward?” Tirikitirik’s voice boomed out, and he stood with a clenched fist held out in front of him. “I must tell all whom I encounter of the cowardice and spinelessness of humans! You give a new meaning to running away. What manner of transport did you use to flee from honorable combat?”

  “Flee from honorable combat? You attacked me without provocation,” Kri replied. He pounded the arm of his command chair as he spoke. “I have dead and wounded crew here.”

  “Dead and wounded,” Tirikitirik said, his voice going suddenly soft after the booming retorts he’d been engaging in so far. “Stop whining about your crew, Captain.” He leaned towards his visual pickup until only one of his eyes was visible, bulging out of the display. “It’s not safe out here. If you want to whine every time you skin your knee, go back to your home system and hide. How can we know the mettle of your kind without meeting you in combat?”

  Kri leaned back in his command chair and pondered his next words. After a long moment, during which Tirikitirik stared at him, with his hands on his hips and a look of frank contempt on his face, Kri said, “If you want combat, then you shall have it, Captain.” He slapped the transmit button, cutting off any reply.

  Kri turned to Hultz and said, “Put up the energy readings for the Laughing Jijik and run it alongside the visual replay of the battle.” Hultz tapped out commands for a few seconds, and the exchanges of fire started playing back. As the shot from the main gun was dispersed, “There, look at his energy readings. He had a system-wide power drain just before the shot was defeated. If we re-engage and use our broadside armament, he won’t be able to stop all of the incoming fire. How many drones do we have left?”

  “One hundred twenty, sir,” Taylor said promptly.

  “Prepare a return jump and then combat launch them all. No reserves. Use them to intercept all shots and keep our broadsides protected until we can bring this Captain Tirikitirik to heel.”

  Kri touched the transmit button again. “Captain, I will return to battle with you, but I must warn you that you risk defeat by facing us again.” He released the transmit key and turned to Hultz. “Have you got an updated intercept pattern for the drones ready?”

  “Yes, sir. I anticipate a minimum of seventy-five percent intercept based on the sensor data we have so far. The more time we spend in combat with them, the better I can tune it. Nice show of bravado, Captain. Let’s hope Captain Tirikitirik takes it to heart. Is my jump ready, helm?”

  “Yes, sir. Coordinates have been validated.”

  “Jump as calculated,” Kri ordered.

  “Aye, sir,” The helm replied and closed the jump interlock. A few seconds later, he reported, “Jump complete, Sir.”

  “Very well. Combat launch all drones and bring us about to present our broadside armament to the Laughing Jijik,” Kri said.

  Damocles’ drones thundered out of their launch tubes and took up a defensive screen between the two ships. The Etyrni ship spun like a dancer and began firing at the drones. Weapons fire spilling from the ship like a tide of inexorable destruction. The drones, shifting alongside the bulk of the Damocles slowly gathering way after leaving its jump ring were being shot down with alarming regularity.

  “We’re down to seventy-five drones, sir,” Hultz said. Sweat was trickling down his face. “I’m up to eighty-one percent effectiveness of intercepts against his fire, but he has so many guns that it's still taking a heavy toll, sir.”

  “Time until the broadsides are ready to engage,” Kri asked.

  “Another ten seconds, sir. Interceptors are firing well over their rated spec, keeping enemy fire off of the hull.” No shot had yet gotten through, but the interceptors would destroy themselves firing so quickly for any sustained period of time. “Broadsides are charged and ready, sir.”

  “Fire all broadside batteries,” Kri said, a grim certainty entering his voice. “Take out as many of his weapons as possible.”

  “Aye, sir. Targeting and… firing.” Hultz tapped out the firing sequence. A booming roar went out from Damocles’ broadside. Each shot individually as strong as a single shot from the forward main gun. The pulsed canons fired a rapid sequence of twenty shots per firing cycle before needing a fifty second cooling and charging time. Kri watched as the shot was initially dispersed, but after the first three pulses, the shots started getting through to the Laughing Jijik’s hull. Huge fragments of hull plating and weapons emplacements broke off of the leading edge, and sensors showed massive damage along the targeted area. Laughing Jijik’s acceleration dropped by over seventy percent, and its maneuvers became sluggish as it turned to pull its damaged section away from Damocles.

  “Sir, we’re getting a comm request from Laughing Jijik,” Dowd reported.

  “Very well, put it up.” Kri leaned forward in his chair.

  “Tirikitirik’s broad face was flushed and his hat was slightly askew. “I congratulate you on your victory, Captain. You have my submission.” He swept his garish hat from his head and bowed over it. The display switched back to the tactical display.

  “He cut the transmission, sir,” Dowd said. “His weapons are powering down, and he is no longer maneuvering or accelerating.”

  “Very well. Did we suffer any damage in that last exchange?”

  “No, sir,” Taylor said.

  “What is the damage assessment of the Laughing Jijik?”

  “They suffered massive damage along their starboard leading edge. We took out nearly all of his weapons emplacements and sensors in that area. Some of the shots also penetrated into the interior. We detected some secondary explosions and heavy venting of atmosphere and liquids in the area. His power signature is down by roughly fifty percent, and his observed acceleration is down to twenty-nine percent of observed maximum.”

  “So, that defensive move of theirs has a limited time it can intercept. By extension, we can also surmise that it takes some time to recharge. Get Captain Tirikitirik back on comms. We need to find out more about this Et
yrni Empire.”

  “Aye, sir,” Dowd said. “He’s responding.”

  Tirikitirik’s face came back onto the main plot. “You have my submission, Captain, Of what service may I be?” The change from boisterous, almost farcical actor to this obsequious mannerism was jarring.

  “Tell me of the Etyrni, Captain. I am curious, do all newcomers receive the same treatment you have offered us?”

  “Oh, no, Captain. Only those who approach in combat ships like yours. Traders, information handlers, and unarmed vessels are permitted to pass freely throughout the Etyrni Empire. All Etyrni would know where you stand relative to the rest of us. Now, allow me to ask you a question. Why do you come into Etyrni Space?”

  Kri held up his hand for a moment and said, “Give me a moment, Captain. I will reconnect comms in a few seconds.” Tirikitirik nodded, and Kri ended the transmission. He turned to face Taylor and Hultz. “Surely this can’t be so simple a thing as dominance, can it?”

  Taylor spoke first. “It sure seems that way. Look at the change in his demeanor. He went from a strutting braggadocio to a servile subordinate immediately upon you showing him your ship had a definitive edge against him. He didn’t allow the combat to continue any longer than was necessary to prove who had the more powerful ship.”

  Hultz nodded and said, “That’s pretty much what I was thinking. I would add that they clearly have some pretty ritualized ways of doing things.”

  Kri nodded and said, “Agreed. Put him back up.” Tirikitirik’s face came back on the screen. Kri said, “Captain, thank you for your explanation. I have a need to cross through your space. Would you send me a star chart showing your territory?”