Chapter 6: Part Two. Pirate Life and Death. Chapter Five.

It was quiet on the bridge of the pirate ship Master Moon as the countdown slid towards launching the attack on the convoy. Three groups had concentrated for this assault as the cargos were reliably expected to be unusably rich, especially in computer programs designed by the empire. It was only after some acrimonious meetings that the pirates had gathered and were now ready.

The pirate captain, Thurgod Drista stiffened. In defiance of the agreement, two groups of the pirates had started making the jump to hyperspace leaving the group including Master Moon, which was supposed to be the lead group, behind.

"Bastards, traitors, may the red fire take them!"

"Ikster just confirmed, ready to make the jump to attack co-ordinates," the second pilot, Amard Petter, spoke. “That’s the last one.”

"Get moving then, before I melt you as well as those..." Thurgod, not normally at a loss for words, was almost incoherent with rage.

With apparent calm Jenna of Christos spoke "All coordinates entered and confirmed. Power plant is on line. All systems nominal. Engaging deep space drives now." even though she was just as angry as Thurgod, she knew that to display any of the anger that she felt would only aggravate the leader. "All other craft have responded. Under way now." The familiar queasiness swept through the crew. A sensation no sooner felt then gone.

"Engines all working within normal ranges." Quintas Denna, the engineer reported from his control room. This was located two decks down and separate from the rest of the ship, at the rear of the spacecraft’s shuttle craft location.

"Deep space drive successfully engaged. Expected jump time is decimal eleven four standard periods." Jenna spoke. "Confirm?"

"Confirmed." Thurgod could barely speak in his rage. Turning to Tyrone he spoke or rather snarled. "Be ready as soon as we arrive at Locus Point."

"Ready we are. All fourteen of us. All other craft have reported that they are ready." The weapons master replied.

"How can you know that? It is impossible to communicate while deep space drives are engaged!"

"They reported before we started to jump as I had instructed them." Tyrone spoke soothingly, not wanting to upset Thurgod anymore then he already was. Although Tyrone was from a heavy gravity world and could break the leader in two, no one wanted to challenge him at this delicate time. "They will all be ready."

With a visible effort, Thurgod brought himself under control. "Time to complete jump?" he spoke to Jenna.

"Eight point seven standard fractions."

"Anything to report, Fastos? Lista?"

"Nothing, all comm channels were normal prior to our jump." Fastos-of-Connor, the counsellor, replied promptly.

"Nothing either." Lista Thursta, the final member of the bridge crew spoke from the scanner station with none of her usual wanton smokiness.

Amard Petter glanced at Jenna. "Wonder why he's in such a good mood?" He spoke under his breath, motioning at their leader.

"Concentrate on your console and be silent." Came the equally quiet reply.

Tension swept the bridge with its tangible presence. Silence fell heavily on the crew. No one wished to speak and incur any part of their leader’s wrath.

"Time to complete jump is now six point one standard." Jenna spoke to no one in particular. "I still want to board  ..."

"That has been discussed. You are too valuable to risk in a null-grav assault. I need you on board here. You are the pilot of this craft. Don't bring it up again." Thurgod spoke in a staccato manner, which revealed just how furious he still was.

As much as she wanted to argue, Jenna stayed silent. I could take that craft by myself, she thought spitefully as she updated the time for arrival. "Four point nine fractions standard."

Silence descended once more on the command deck as all six members of the bridge crew concentrated on their consoles.

Thurgod monitored all systems at the captains’ console, and could, if necessary conn the ship from there. Directly in front of Thurgod’s position was the pilot’s chair in which Jenna sat. To her left was Armand Petters second pilots’ chair. To the right was the weapons station, the domain of Tyrone.

On the right hand wall behind Tyrone, who had donned his battle gear, was the communications station that Fastos had appropriated when he joined the crew. Beside him sat Lista whom was watching the scanners as best as she could. None could really do anything with Master Moon in hyper, they just didn’t want to upset Thurgod.

At the front of the bridge were armored windows, covered with armored shields during hyperspace travel, for viewing and normally used only for approaches to space docks. Above them, the main viewing screens to compliment the personal screens at each station. Windows may seem unnecessary, however spacefarers were an odd mixture of the progressive and regressive and a method of looking outside, unhampered by any electronic means, was demanded by all pilots, so windows remained standard on spacecraft and were used.

On the left side of the bridge was a bank of controls for subsidiary systems not normally required for immediate viewing or display. Computer interface slaves and busses were at the rear of the bridge to the left of the main door.  The main computer was buried deep in the ship and so was as protected as possible.

While the ship was equipped with escape pods. in a major battle, or a minor one for that matter, the chance of using them was remote. The room was in all respects strictly practical and business like. Any personal touches were reserved for personal spaces.

 “Point one two standard. Quintas, prepare for shut down and power transfer. Also emergency power if necessary."

"Ready Jenna." The engineer replied.

"Point one … ready… shut down. Ready weapons, scan system, check comm, blast shields raised. Report."

"Confirm shutdown. Scanning system." Thurgod replied first.

"Weapons being energized now. Expect full weapons in point zero two. Missiles ready now. Plasma beam ready at fifty percent for boarding. Energy shields at one hundred percent." Tyrone reported.

"Life systems nominal. Engine nominal." Amard reported.

"Stay on the engines, Amard. Be ready for anything." Thurgod was showing his paranoia.

"All detection systems now on line. Showing some strange activity. There are some readings that I don't understand." Lista showed her confusion.

"I am also getting some strange traffic on the comm net." Fastos interjected. "There appears to be something going on that is unexpected."

"I don't see anything unusual on the scanners yet, but the convoy should be screaming for help by now. The other sons-of-bitches must be two standard ahead of us." Thurgod frowned at the holograph display as it changed in front of him. "Expanding display to cover the entire sector from the moon to the planet."

"All craft are now in normal space and in attack formation." Amard reported

"Taking thrusters to attack speed. Moving forward to preset coordinates." Jenna's fingers flew across her console as she spoke.

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"Wait, I am getting something on Imperial bands not normally used. The source is not clear and the signal is encoded. I am attempting to decode the signals now." Fastos sounded distracted and uncertain, enough to cause the rest of the bridge crew to pause in their tasks. Imperial signals were to be expected from the escort, but on the normal channels reserved for local forces. Encrypted signals were also a warning sign

"I am scanning for other vessels in the planetary plane. Nothing yet. Continue moving forward but reduce forward speed ten percent." Thurgod was nothing but cautious. "The scanner is slow .... but it is not showing any signs of jamming." Thurgod spoke slowly, as if the words were being forced out of his throat.

The first two groups had attacked, one from behind and above the planetary plane and one level with the plane and from the front. Thurgod’s group was to attack from the sun side but had changed at the last and was attacking from below and outside. This left them at an advantage as there was a quick avenue of escape and the shortened trip made up for time lost when the first two pirate groups made their early jump.

"Weapons transferred to you, Jenna". Tyrone heaved himself up ready to leave to go to join the boarding party.

"Got it Tyrone, Amard, start monitoring the life and machinery systems." The systems were shunted to Amards control. “Acknowledged,” came back.

"Something's happening ahead. If I didn't know better, it would look like the Oscus was under fire from a heavy cruiser" Lista spoke sounding confused.

"Have you messed up again?" Growled Tyrone from behind her, pausing as he went to leave the command bridge to join the boarding party. "Need a hand?"

All but Thurgod and Jenna looked towards the scanning sub-console that Lista was manning. "Shifting to deep scan Oscus now. Great fire! She is under attack from an Imperial cruiser..." Lista cried out.

“She’s right!” Tyrone yelled as he leant over Lista.

Stunned silence reigned. Typically, Jenna of Christos recovered first. "Orders." Jenna shouted. The rest remained frozen in shock. "Thurgod, orders!" Jenna shouted again. Tyrone, recovering fast, launched himself back into his chair at his station. “Taking weapons and shields back, Jenna.” He called.

“Acknowledged.”

"Position." Came from Thurgod.

"Twelve point six light minutes below plane. Eight craft have past us, five behind."

"Reverse course immediately." Thurgod was clutching the scan display with a death grip.

The bridge swayed drunkenly as Jenna swung the craft around without warning. Cries of alarm burst over the comm. as others in the ship slid, fell or rolled across the floors and bounced off walls of the ship. Restraints snapped into place automatically for the bridge crew.

"Amard, warn the crew to get into protection for hyper jump. Now!” Jenna snapped, “Warn Quintas, we need full power now."

“Done.”

"The first two groups are under heavy fire and several craft seem to be missing, but it’s hard to tell with all the free energy flying around, and the scanners are so slow...I wonder,.... could the Empire have a new cloaking device?" Jenna seemed to be speaking to no one in particular.

"We'll worry about that if we survive unlike the rest." Thurgod snapped "Get us to the jump point, now"

 "Do we warn the others?" Fastos suggested. "It would be wise. It this is a trap....."

"A trap? Of course it is a trap! As soon as we come around we will send a warning to scatter and run for it. We will have a back escort then. Ah... we have a forward escort now. Three of the five behind us have turned around. Send the warning even though these three haven't"

"Fastos, send a warning to all craft, now," Jenna spoke. As if they now need it, she thought. “Lista, keep scanning,” She added. Without argument for once, Lista immediately attended to her console.

"Transfer power from weapons to shields. Shields at full effectiveness. Now!" Thurgod ordered. "Thrusters to one hundred and twenty percent, full power forward, get to the jump coordinates. Jenna are they ready?"

"Shields, huh! Not much use at this range against heavy cruisers!" Amard muttered.

"Shut up Amard! Jenna! Are they ready?" Sweat trickled down Thurgod’s face as he clung to the display console like a priest to his altar. Jenna acknowledged.

“They are ready. We will reach the jump zone in just point oh two at this speed."

The race out of the system was a kaleidoscope of eerily silent blasts of light as the Empire's gunships blasted the pirate ships out of existence. Pirate ships burnt, burst and exploded in all the colors of the rainbow as the surviving pirates fled for their lives. Strange flowers blossomed behind them and then one of the craft in front of them exploded as well.

“They are not even trying to take prisoners, they are shooting to kill.” muttered Tyrone. “Stand ready, missiles, starboard!” He shouted.

Jenna wrenched the ship to port and up as two mass missiles slid by, barely missing the screen. “That was close, too close. Maneuvering to get some ships between us and the empire.” Jenna muttered. Master Moon swayed and dipped almost beyond the restraints abilities to hold the crew in place.

“Countermeasures, Tyrone!” Came from Thurgod. “Not much use for HVW’s, but keep trying, if they try hyper or beams…!”

In the ships hold, the boarding party was clinging to anything they could, not having had time to do anything else, no earlier warning having been possible to them. Fear and sweat creased the faces of the mercenaries, they were used to dealing out death and did not savor facing it themselves. Looking in each other’s face they could see and smell the fear.

An antimatter warhead blasted against the ships screen, the shipped rocked and alarms went off. “Engine room reports damage to collectors but efficacy unimpaired.” cried Lista.

“Evasive pattern laid in, almost at jump point,” came from Jenna. The ship heaved again, alarms screaming.

“That was a gravity bomb.” Gasped Amard. Jenna never spoke, seeming to become part of the ship in her concentration.

"Report!" came tightly from Thurgod.

"Two heavy cruisers ahead but off to port and above the plane, they just destroyed Tentis's ship, also half a kilo off to port and above us. Five more behind, also off to port and below the plane. These are the closest". Fear laid heavy on Lista Thursta's voice. The fear was mirrored in every face except Jenna's. She was so deeply involved in her console hat nothing else seemed to register with her.

"Time to jump, point zero, zero, one." Jenna spoke "Stand by, this will be close!"

The empire closed in for the kill.

"Jumping now! Hang on!"

 

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