Xochitl Novella, Part 5
Concoction
_____________________________
That evening I sat in my quarters, enjoying a beer, while Rex and Yatziri sipped on a vicious concoction that passed as the ship’s goto liquor of choice. A creation of someone on board, that no one could name, but the story always changed to be more insidious with each retelling. Whoever was responsible, would probably never be known, but the noxious substance was produced by the galley; in limited quantities to prevent abuse.
I tried a sip of it and thought it tasted like the way a burned plasma conduit smelled. I couldn’t envision anyone wanting to abuse it unless they were both unconscious and desperate. Rex and Yatziri appeared to like it — no accounting for taste. I was simple and preferred a lagger. Old, ancient, refreshing, and fortunate for me, non-intoxicating. My little nanobots that moved around my systems, helping to keep my biological and cybernetics regulated, prevented that.
Avery changed the monitors on the wall to display relevant information. I was surprised there had been no further attempt at communication from the neighboring ruling faction, over my hauling persons or cargo, for whomever I choose. Perhaps they saw the reality of the situation that I didn’t care for any faction’s politics, and was a simple business person?
‘I don’t trust them,’ Yatziri said, with a half slur. ‘Either they are looking for a way to exploit the situation, or they are figuring out a way to set you up.’
Avery looked at Rex, who sneered at his glass, after taking a sip.
‘They are concerned because unlike them, we are mobile. Carriers don’t need to have an allegiance to anything other than themselves. We are our own source of revenue, even a competitor if we so choose. Also better armed than their station, so there isn’t much they can do about anything we choose to do.’
Avery looked at Yatziri and then at the monitors on the wall. ‘I concur. They would be wise to be concerned. Our concern is for whatever or whomever we decide. It could be no one or anyone.’
I swirled my beer around in its glass. ‘My concern is for a route that makes sense, has a decent clientele, and a reasonable price. Their petty conflicts and politics, don’t mean anything to me. Getting involved in fact has a negative impact on our bottom line—’ I took a sip of my beer. ‘—bad for business.’
Damn, now I wasn’t thinking like a mechanic but a business owner.
Avery looked at the monitors, with each changing to reflect various nearby systems and the influence of their resident factions. ‘As an android, I am governed by logic. Logic dictates their mindset and is governed by their viewpoint. Their viewpoint is their system and its holdings. They know the influence a carrier nearby can have. They are right to be concerned. Your decision to maintain neutrality, with a mobile system of its own, is unknown to those whose position is fixed.’
I emptied my glass, setting it on the table in front of me.
Everything revolves around reputation, and to ensure a continued profitable position amongst the various factions, I would need to alleviate their concerns—while ensuring they understood my position and responsibility to my crew; which did not include any of their politics.
The next day is when I decided to take my first actual day off in over two weeks. While showering I thought about inviting the liaison of the leading faction over for a nice chat to clarify my position but then thought better of it. To have one invited and not the others would be perceived as something other than what it was. I could not invite them all as none of them would sit in the room with each other without starting a conflict aboard my ship.
By the time I had dressed my breakfast had arrived. Walking into the front room I saw the form of Yatziri, passed out on the couch. An empty bottle of the noxious liquor sitting on the table in front of it. I took the tray from the attendant, and shook my head while smiling, as Avery looked at me with the expression a curious animal would give, towards an unrecognized sound.
‘She’s going to feel that when she wakes up,’ I said, walking back into my bedroom, where I could study the monitor in there, while eating my meal.
It was there that I came to the realization that there was nothing, other than what I was already doing, that would have any effect, and even then my actions were being seen as something other than what they were; me taking care of my own.
There was no safe way to placate any of the factions without isolating another. The best course of action would be to continue my business as before. The best outcome would be my own actions speaking for me versus words themselves. That is what my past experience as a contract mechanic told me to do, but then I was not a proper business owner, or in the position, I was in now.
Another idea struck me as I studied the various nearby system’s information. It was something Avery alluded to the other night. Looking at the monitor on the wall, a rough idea began to form.
Feasibility
_____________________________
Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I changed the monitor’s display, to reflect a larger region of surrounding systems, and their primary industries, while displaying best-sell prices for less commonly traded items.
‘You are responsible for this,’ I said in jest, nodding to the monitor.
Avery tilted their head in confusion. ‘I am unaware of any fault.’
‘You are not at fault for any wrong but for giving me an idea.’
‘Oh, haha. That is the best I can give your faulty humor. Clarify your idea.’
smart alec android
‘As you said last night, we are a mobile system. We have a large cargo capacity and a far greater range than any standard trade ship. We can move enormous quantities of lesser items, to locations not feasible for the average trader.’
I smiled at hearing a snore from the front room.
Avery nodded, examining the monitor. ‘You would not be servicing a singular region, but all, or specific ones of choice. There is no definable limit.’
‘I think we should examine this thought, and see what potential it could hold for all involved. Define if it is a defacto doable concept, or is it a looks good on paper but not reality type.’
Avery nodded in agreement, ‘I think that's a good idea. We should conduct a feasibility study and assess the potential risks and benefits of this concept. We'll need to gather data on the demand for these lesser traded items, as well as the potential client base in different regions.’
Avery changed the monitor screen to reflect a forecast model
‘This is by no means a complete model, but one reflecting a middle of the lane ramifications, based on current market data. The concept appears sound, but it should be approached with care, as transporting the quantities of goods you are considering, can have destabilizing ramifications.’
‘I am not in business to put others out of business, nor to cause economic damage throughout any particular region.’
‘Based on your historical patterns, spreading cargo amongst several similar systems, not in the direct economic influence of the others trading partners would minimize our impact on any specific region, allowing for the smaller trader to continue their individual business, without being negatively impacted by our efforts.’
Avery’s logic made sense. ‘Prepare a focused model, with a risk assessment, based upon what you have just said so that I can present it to Rex for tomorrow morning's meeting with the section chiefs, and get their input.’
There was an eeriness in seeing an android smile.
***
With Avery seeing to her chore and Yatziri in no condition to be conscious, I went to the hangar, housing my Diamondback Explorer. The mission for today was one of running the regional markets, seeing where their prices lay, and seeing what missions each faction offered. Often within those missions were unspoken nuggets of information.
Traffic patterns, ship types, signal sources, and almost every aspect one could find in a system, would tell the story of what was taking place, before docking at one of their orbital stations. Further truth could be found at planetary settlements, and what their traffic patterns and mission boards looked like. Often they would have similar yet subdued requirements due to being planetary versus orbital.
This ship allowed me to transgress most regions, in an unobtrusive manner. It was, after all, a ship of exploration; so they say. This one maintained all that was required for that role, with the addition of teeth, to dissuade the errant opportunist. Twin grade five efficient Imperial Hammer railguns, firing plasma slugs, with a large grade five overcharged burst laser, could strip a ship of its shields, and place a quick hurt on the ship it was protecting, with a rapidness that caught most by surprise.
Along with her exploration sensor suite, she was outfitted with a kill warrant and frame shift wake scanner, along with sixteen tons of cargo space, a complementary fuel scoop and automated field maintenance unit, and a Scarab planetary vehicle. With a full load, she could still clear more than fifty light-years with each hyperspace jump. Like I said … teeth.
Not too far back, she was my go-to ship when responding to in-field mechanical calls, scavenging, and rescuing and towing stranded, paying customers. She was also well adapted to exploration, rescuing the lost and disposed of on distant planet’s not within standard shipping and trade lanes.
Scanning the local navigational beacon, I watched the traffic, noting the various ship types and the information their transmitting transponders could tell me about them. Before continuing on to the local station, I already knew there was a conflict nearby.
During another time, that would signal a prime opportunity to sell my wrench, to fix the ships. Now it represented an opportunity to check their depleted markets, to see what they might be selling, at a discount, to raise funds, and what they might be short of. My how things change in such a short time.
***
I made my way to the station, docking my Diamondback Explorer in the assigned berth. As I disembarked, I noticed the tense atmosphere in the station. There were armed guards patrolling the corridors, and most of the shops were closed.
I made my way to the market board, scanning the buy and sell prices and the demand for each. The prices for hostages and occupied escape pods caught my attention. That they were even listed was absurd. Their market did not take them, and there were no rescue services available. Why list it when there was no way to offload them? I shook my head thinking that someone’s onionhead pipe had overheated when they updated their market listings.
The passenger board was filled with prisoner transfers or people trying to get away, and they were willing to pay. That could bring in a decent amount of credits, without picking a side. There were even a few tourist transportation listings, though I knew most of those were attempting to escape as well, but smart enough not to say it outright, to keep the price of transportation at something more reasonable.
The missions board was a joke. Items listed were substandard payments for attacking an absurd number of the opposition. All risk and little reward, and at the end of the contract, screwing oneself out of any opportunity with anyone other than the one that screwed you over. That was a win for them and loose for me, no thanks.
What none of the boards showed, but what I noticed at the navigation beacon was the large number of pirates roaming the space lanes. Most were opportunists, without any real experience in the trade, and thus easy prey for one who knows how to profit from pirating pirates. In their sacrifice, a decent profit could be made, and perhaps I could gather their escape pods too. I knew where to go and sell them for additional profit on top of a bounty. Imperials and Feds both liked a fresh supply of cheap labor.
A simple model
_____________________________
My first stop was at a nearby planet with a reported impact signature on its surface. Those were usually beacons or reconnaissance satellites forced out of their orbit and to the ground by either pirates or raiders. They would do this to as many as they could find, then guard it until their mothership would arrive, to pick them up. Most they would exploit and discard, others they would attempt to ransom; owner dependent.
My mission wasn’t to remove the raiders but to find out who they belonged to. Yes, each of them had a paltry bounty on them, but honestly, it was a lot more fun to fly around them, watching them fire at me in vain. Knowledge of who they were was more profitable than burying a few of their lower ranks in this airless world.
What I was looking for in particular wasn’t local actors but out-of-system opportunists. Their presence would allow me to backtrack their origins, which would provide new market opportunities, that could develop into new trade routes, which would beget business clientele, and generate profit. The elders of any pirate clan understood business. Credits talked louder than lasers and cannons.
Once a firm reputation had been established with the various parties, I could then do a little raiding of their lesser rank and file, along with a choice selection of settlements, without risking the larger business relationship. It would be a simple cost of doing business view for their types. A norm they were used to in their chosen profession, and one that was lucrative for those who knew how to work it.
This type of operation used to be my side hustle, subsidizing my time and efforts as I traveled around as a contract mechanic. Scavenging the junk their types left around, or the remains of their ships I turned into junk. Their petty little settlements, and all the goods, assets, and data they contained within, along with a few bounties here and there. All a part of doing business.
Sure it was not the path to a billion credits, but far richer. It was a path that provided sustainable income. A million here or there, nothing too grandiose or over the top. Just enough without being too much. The best part was the anonymity it provided. Pirates and raiders were not going to complain to any authority.
I forwarded the information to Avery, for her to plug into her calculations. A lucrative beginning of a far larger route had been identified. A lot of exploration remained to expand it into one that would make proper use of my carrier's range and capacity.
I spent my day going from one installation to another, checking and updating the local market prices. It was confusing to their workers as it was not a norm for unaffiliated traders to visit their locations much less catalog their pricing. It wasn’t until the fifth installation that I was stopped by the facilities security personnel and brought into what passed as their commander center.
‘Word has passed amongst our kind. You have been making inquiries into our markets.’
His heavy gunai accent was unusual, but not unknown to me, as I stood in front of the man’s desk, looking at the guards on either side of me.
‘Feel free to check my ship’s data log. It is not encrypted.’
He nodded at one of the guards, who left the office, before fixing me with a calculating eye. ‘Your voice modular is unique. What does a cyborg want with our markets?’
‘If the price is right, to trade in them — but only if the price is right. How better to know than to visit in person for the latest updates?’
‘No one but our own trade with us. Foreigners do not make a profit here.’
‘You mean your biowaste and the scraps your small foundry discards? If the price is right, then you are what I seek.’
He paused for a moment, studying me. ‘What would you do with waste, that would be of profit?’
‘Two systems from this place is an agricultural system, with several settlements. They have the food, and you have the fertilizer. The system in between has a refinery. You need their products, they need yours.’
He huffed, looking at a monitor on the wall, showing a video of the landing pad outside, where my Diamondback Explorer sat.
‘In that? You cannot make any profit. Perhaps you have another reason?’
I smirked, which annoyed him. ‘In that, you are right. With a carrier, I can haul more than you can produce, and with those amounts, I can turn a tidy profit.’
The guard from earlier entered the room, nodding to his supervisor.
I looked back at the guard, nodding, then turned to look at their supervisor once more.
‘All was as I stated. You have copied my data and know I can do what I say, but only if the price is right. The question is not my sincerity, but in us coming to a transport agreement.’
The guard behind me nodded, as his commander eyed me coldly. ‘Our pad is small. You cannot transport much with what you have out there.’
‘True. I have a Cobra Mk IV that can take 72 tons at a time. Based on your supplies, that would be four trips.’
‘That is not many credits for you, at our quantities.’
‘True. Its value isn’t in the credits I buy and sell it for, but in the reputation it allows me to build between them, you, and myself.’
As he stood up from his desk, he towered over me by a full head in height.
‘Now I see the real reason for your visiting us. You would use us as a road to better contracts.’
I smiled, looking up at him. ‘It is a win-win arrangement for all … if I were to do so. First, the price has to be right. Selling at a loss damages those chances.’
‘And these goods you would buy from these agricultural types?’
‘Your pantries will be filled, as will our mutual reputations.’
His eyes narrowed as he broke out into a deep rumbling laugh.
‘Show her our markets. Let us see what kind of deal we can make then.’
unpleasant surprises
_____________________________
The benefit of trading with minor settlements was in the discovery of doing so. Pirates would descend on smaller ships with greater ease. Their belief—often correct—was that smaller ships would have less armor and armament, and be less apt to protect themselves. With a full load, they would need to rely on what speed and maneuverability they could muster.
The heavier Cobra Mk IV was limited even when empty.
The brainchild of an overworked and debauched engineer at the De Lacy shipyards, it birthed a ship that looked like a slightly larger Cobra Mk III, with handling a little better than a Type 7. Advertised as a more combat-centric version that sacrificed agility for armor and armament, it was dubious at best— that is why I loved the ship.
It gave the false impression of a ship that could not run away. Too heavy to maneuver efficiently to defend itself, it was the epitome of easy prey. It begged for interdictions that could lend themselves to humor or bounties, in the right hands. That is why I reduced her seventy-two-ton load by two tons, leaving free room for any pirate fortunate enough to get into their escape pods in time.
You could always tell the experience of the pirate attempting to interdict you by the way they maneuvered against you and their level of desperation. The more seasoned pirate would take their time and calculate their approach. The younger, less experienced of their ilk would charge in to attempt to grab their prey quickly.
It was the latter that I saw moving toward me as I flew a course toward the local star. I feinted needing to scoop fuel, though I had no fuel scoop fitted. A simple scan would have revealed that fact, and the older pirate would see the trap I was setting and move away. This pirate bore in, as I began a close orbit of the star, rising my ship’s heat to 62%.
For an interdiction to work properly, you need your prey to be free of a larger gravity source. A star is a massive gravitational body, and the lock your computer is telling you it has may look like the ship you want but is the gravitational source.
I watched the contact racing in behind me vanish into the star's corona.
At close orbit to the star, the heat signature of the ship would be masked to any who did not follow it, masking its presence against the far hotter backdrop. It was the ultimate decoy when heat and radiation were the primary methods of long-range tracking.
One could settle here in perpetuity, basking in the star’s warmth while waiting for the patience of those waiting for it to emerge to grow hotter.
The lesser-experienced would move on to find something easier or get the false impression that both their wingmate and their prey had fallen victim to the star. The more seasoned pirate would know the ruse and sit calmly waiting, appreciative of a ship that would provide them a challenge.
It was these who waited who provided the best bounties. The cargo's value itself was a paltry sum, little better than just enough to afford fuel for one’s ship. For the latter, it was the thrill of the hunt. For the prey, it was the bounty the hunter offered.
Like my trading, my choice of weaponry and tactics were less used and often outright shunned. You did not have to travel far to see the lust for the now instead of the riches of the experience and cozy feeling of just enough. The norm was the meta, and offensive and defensive strategies focused on that. Anything outside of the norm was not thought of in terms of defense.
The Cobra Mk IV had three small hardpoints on the top of its hull, perfectly positioned for twin-engineered mine launchers. Both were modified with high-capacity storage, with one engineered for ion disruption (which chokes out a ship’s engines) and the other for reverberating cascade (which attacks its shield generator directly).
The third small hardpoint was located in the center of its hull top. Again, perfectly positioned for a cytoscrambler burst laser engineered with a scramble spectrum. The cytoscrambler was specifically designed to nullify a ship’s shields without damaging its hull. The scramble spectrum enhancement allowed it to cause temporary random malfunctions on any ship hull it made contact with.
The front two medium hardpoints were positioned to the left and right of the cockpit, spaced perfectly for a pilot to fire and strike even when their target was not locked. The port side hardpoint housed a flechette cannon whose tiny buckshot shards would pass through both shields and armor, damaging modules within. The starboard hardpoint housed a focused burst laser with a phasing sequence modification, allowing it to burrow part of its damage through a shield until the shield was gone, then act as a surgical needle against any targeted module.
Combined, their overall damage potentials were low, but it was their unique capabilities that made them the most lethal, with no real defense against, as one of the pirates discovered as I circled around his disabled ship. Smoke drifted out into space from the too-numerous-to-count small holes left by the flechettes. His engines were surgically disabled by the burst laser, along with his shield generator.
With my ship’s lights playing over his hull, I gave him the option of taking his bounty now or he could go to his escape pod and be turned in for his bounty later. I pointed out that more than a dozen light seconds away, the debris of their wingman drifted; his escape pod was already in my cargo hold.
Again, it was outside the norm for those who met in conflict. The pirates would not have extended the same courtesy, but they only had to think about who was floating helpless and who was fully functional to make such a demand.
My cargo hold opened as their escape pod jettisoned.
Wrench in the gears
_____________________________
|
By the end of the second day, there were twenty-six new pirate escape pods added, with their occupants waiting for transportation to the best-paying authority of our choice. Their bounties alone were worth the operating cost of the carrier for a week. The cargo I was able to obtain from them, provided a healthy additional bonus for the crew. Sitting back and nursing my cold draft beer, I looked at the time differences between my location and that of the purchasing agricultural system. If all was loaded aboard my Imperial Cutter before this evening, I could depart and would be arriving at their facility by dawn their time. With their payment, unloading, then my payment, and reloading of their goods, for the return journey, I should be back at the originator's facility by noonish the following day. Overall payment, plus bounties, plus re-pirated cargo, plus turn-in of the pirates themselves, would fund the carrier’s financial requirements for the remainder of the month, plus a happy little weekly bonus for the crew. Overall not a bad couple of days' work. What would be best is to get a few pirates to interdict me on my trip to and from there, adding a nice bump to the carrier’s bank account. That was the plan until I was interrupted by Avery. ‘Bridge reporting distress beacon on the planet below.’ ‘What classification is the crash site?’ ‘No crash site reported. Distress beacon only.’ That could be any number of things, but it was a distress beacon, and it could mean that it was guarded by skimmers, raiders, pirates, or nothing. The beacon itself could be automated, and there would be nothing worth the effort, but the chance that there was someone meant the thing to do would be to investigate it. I could take the Cobra I had been using for the past couple of days, but it was set to deal with pirates in space, more than on the surface. I did have a ship that could do both, that was small and nimble, and that I couldn’t remember when the last time I had flown it was. ‘Have my Viper Mk IV prepared and waiting.’ I told Avery as I went to get into my Maverick suit. If there were hostiles, it was fully modded and had good shielding and jump jets. It was not as good as my Dominator suit, for combat situations, but the Dominator didn’t have an Arc cutter, and wouldn’t be able to get into anything if there was someone who needed rescue. ‘Hangar reports the ship is fueled, armed, and ready.’ I checked my plasma pistol and my auto rifle, insuring they were loaded and that I had plenty of additional reloads for both. A couple of grenades, and extra suit battery packs, and I was all set. I paused, heading out the door. ‘Please make sure medical and security are notified.’ Now defenders appeared after performing a low pass, which would usually flush them out. There were rare circumstances where they would remain hidden, waiting for anyone near to come in close before exposing themselves. Fortunately, my Viper Mk IV had a Scorpion combat vehicle hangar, which was more than capable of dealing with most of those threats. Keeping my ship out of range, I landed 400 meters distant. I drove my Scorpion the remainder of the distance, keeping as much of the broken and rocky ground between myself and the signal, to give me the best chance in case there was an ambush waiting. Moving in cautiously, several cargo canisters and two escape pods appeared on my scanner, but no defenders. I could see the remains of a Federation-built F63 Condor light fighter, which raised more questions than concerns, as light fighters were not physically manned, being remotely piloted, and none were configured or had modules that would allow them to carry any cargo — so where did the cargo and escape pods come from? The Scorpion vehicle was combat-centric though it could carry two tons of cargo; usually, for transporting armored personnel in Dominator suits, it could also take cargo containers and escape pods. It took three trips to pick up everything and get it on board my Viper when Rex called. ‘Captain, I’m reading two more distress signals, and there are indications of not one but two crash sites, and an impact site.’ ‘Confirmed … have escape pods from the first site, plus cargo. Will go and check the next signal and advise.’ I had worked for enough outfits in my time as a contract mechanic to know the signs of an operation taking place. Though the who, what, and why, were unknown. The where was obvious. Climbing to 250 kilometers I nosed over and kept my path sub-orbital, so as to not show on any ship’s scanner. Keeping my throttle at fifty percent allowed me to manage my energy and keep my signature as low as possible, masking me from any prying eyes. |
|
As I flew over the second distress signal, I immediately came under fire from ground personnel guarding a broken-down Scarab surface vehicle. I did not know who they were, but firing at me was enough to let me know this was not a friendly situation. Banking sharply I headed back to get a close look around the Scarab. Placing full power to shields, I lowered down to see if there were any escape pods or hostages near it, as incoming rounds began to impact. There was nothing but four firing hostiles and the Scarab as I departed the area towards low orbit, setting course for the next distress signal. ‘Rex. The second signal is hostile. No hostages or escape pods were found. Moving to next signal.’ ‘Copy. The second site is hostile. Advise if you want it neutralized.’ ‘Negative. Not our fight. Will check the next.’ Repeating the prior events, I flew over what was now the third signal of the day, and for the second time was engaged by hostile ground forces. ‘Rex … third site also hostile, returning to ship … Get my Vulture ship ready … will send module list.’ Fortunately, my carrier was in orbit, taking less than a couple minutes to make the return trip. By the time I landed, Zarathustra and her security team were waiting for the two escape pods I had recovered. ‘Revive them and find out what you can and let me know asap. I’m going back down and see what I can find.’ I made my way to the hangar tram, to take me to my Vulture, seeing Zarathustra point at the escape pods as her team and a medical technician began moving on them. ‘Rex, I’m headed to the last signal I visited, to see if I can find out who these people are.’ Yatziri’s voice came over the comms. 'Copy that. Preparing the Krait for backup. Art is with me, he will man the fighter if needed.’ ‘Copy. Keep a high orbit near the carrier and report any descending ships. I’m going low and see if I can get them stirred up and have any support they can call.’ |
|
The Vulture was classed as a heavy fighter. She was small, fast, heavily armored, and shielded, with a large plasma accelerator and a large focused overcharged burst laser. She had more than enough to deal with any problem that appeared, whether on the surface or in orbit. She also had a vehicle hangar installed, allowing me to apply my prior trade as a mechanic; create the scrap then recover any usable parts from it. Arriving at the last site, I spotted the ones who fired on me earlier and identified nearby terrain, where I could mask my approach and get a good, clear line of sight on them. With no atmosphere, there was nothing to transmit the sound of my approach, as I kept a rocky outcrop between me at the aggressors. The hardpoints on the Vulture were set at cockpit height, one to the left and the other to the right. The designers of this heavy fighter anticipated its pilot would need to sight and fire without having a lock; which was the current situation. The beauty of a large class grade 5 efficient plasma accelerator with plasma slug ammunition was its 3.5km range. A single hit would decimate a hostile, even if they were wearing a shielded dominator suit. The first shot was a direct hit, sending the partially melted target flying into the rocky backdrop, and alerting the others, who began to spread out, looking for where the shot originated. Holding my position I waited for the group to begin to stabilize in their individual positions, resetting my sites to focus on the furthest one, who had moved to where the first target had flown. Their back was turned as I fired the plasma bolt. The shot caught the attention of one of their members, who must have called out a warning as my target turned, just in time for the plasma to hit them, melting them in place. Yatziri’s voice sounded in my headset. ‘A ship just appeared, from the backside of the planet. They are descending in low orbit, headed to your location.’ ‘Copy. Two of their numbers have been neutralized. Two remain. Will keep my eyes open. Get ready to intercept if I need it.’ ‘Moving to station,’ Yatziri responded. Sure enough, a ship did appear, from higher up. It was a Viper class light fighter, descending fast. I saw its cargo doors open, and the soft blue glow of shielded personnel within, as it moved into a hover of the survivors, dropping four more armored personnel as reinforcements, then lifting up to depart the area. ‘They dumped off reinforcements. When they break orbit, interdict them and take them out.’ ‘In position, waiting for them to appear.’ ‘Captain, this is Zarathustra. Got an id for our guest. They were surveyors from a nearby system, who were investigating the exo-biological signals on that planet when they were attacked and captured. They managed to escape, taking out one of their captors and ejecting out of the cargo hold of the ship they were being held on. The crashed fighter was used to attack them and crashed. The cargo is whatever fell out of the ship they were being held on when they jettisoned from the cargo hold. They must have thought they were killed when the fighter crashed and threw up all the debris.’ ‘Copy. You know the drill. Might have more guest for you later … will advise.’ ‘Out.’ The other’s had already spread out and were taking a position facing my direction, but were too far out to engage me. Fortunate for me, they were not too far out for me, as I sighted in on one who had exposed themselves too much, and fired, striking and melting the rock at their feet, as they jumped out of the way. I moved in closer, but remained out of their range, selecting my overcharged large focused burst laser. Perfect for melting ship modules. Against shielded and armored ground raiders, they didn’t have a chance, as I sighted in the one I had fired at before. Three solid hits and the target folded onto the ground as the others began to disperse, finding cover behind the disabled Scarab vehicle, taking themselves out of my line of sight. Five more remained, as I landed the Vulture, well out of their range, and boarded my Scorpion ground vehicle. One of their members broke cover, looking to see where I was, and did not spot my approach until I was within 300 meters. Moving the turret's crosshairs onto them, I held down the trigger, hammering them with the plasma repeater as the others raced forward into a skirmish line and began to engage. The one I was firing at went down, as I turned broadside to them, the turret tracking my next target, as I raced laterally to their position, firing. The Scorpion’s shields were absorbing their fire, as the next target collapsed. I reversed my lateral direction, choosing a third target, as their firing increased in desperation. Firing the plasma repeater once more I had almost forgotten the Scorpion also had missiles, as the lock tone filled my headset. The missile impacted the raider, sending them flying into the derelict Scarab, as I turned toward the final two and gunned the engine, locking one of the final two, while aiming the Scorpion at the one that was not locked. Holding down both the trigger and accelerator, The second one staggered under the impacts, then folded into the dirt, as I impacted the last one, at full speed, knocking them across the landscape. I drove around the location carefully, checking each of the bodies to make sure they were truly done, then moved back to check for any escape pods or hostages, I may not have seen before; there were none. ‘This is Xochitl. Hostiles down, site secured … Report.’ Avery responded. ‘Good copy Captain. Yatziri disabled the hostile ship which used the planet's gravity to descend to the surface, toward the impact signal source from earlier. They are in pursuit. Rex is validating the rescued hostages from earlier.’ ‘Good copy. Will head to Yatziri’s signal, once I am back aboard my ship.’ With nothing left to do here, I raced back to my Vulture, so I could go and backstop Yatziri, should she need it. |
Corrupting
_____________________________
Whatever started the fight in the system remains unknown, but these raiders' actions ensured that I was choosing a side.
The impact site was heavily guarded, and now with one of their disabled Vipers crashed there as well and more ships reported entering orbit, this airless world had quickly dissolved into a meeting engagement.
Some of the local ships that had visited my carrier for repair and refueling had been attacked within a few light-years of it. The same raiders as below were attempting to interdict ships near the carrier, including a few attempts against the carrier itself.
A fleet carrier had more firepower than an orbital station, which the raiders discovered. Keeping their distance now a few light-years from the nearby floating scrap of their members was a testament to their earlier education of what happens when they get too close. A local pirate faction took notice of the rolling battles and joined in the fray, attacking the rival raider faction. I couldn't blame them for taking advantage of the situation. It was a simple and good business decision.
I made my carrier available to rearm, refuel, and repair pirate ships as both sides began to send additional forces into the situation, creating the start of an official war.
Rex's morning briefing outlined the situation: 'Zooey and Axl are using our indigenous dredgers to move all wreckage into a centralized stabilized location near the carrier to keep it within its protective radius while keeping it out of the traffic lanes. We have designated a large hangar for use as a medical bay to stabilize their wounded so they can be transported to their own facilities.
The pirate faction has brought us additional supplies to make up for what we have expended, supporting their efforts against the raiders. As you can see, our security situation is amber. Local traffic can experience some interdictions, though the local pirate faction is helping out with that situation when they can interdict the raiders. They can't get them all, of course, so we increased the security warning accordingly.
There remain active conflict zones within a few light seconds of our position and on the planet below. We are in no danger from these - as they have learned.'
'Chief Bowen, what is the status of the ship and engineering?' Rex asked.
'Ship is in good condition with no damages. We are repairing local and pirate faction ships consistently. They have been bringing us more supplies than we have expended, so we anticipate no supply issues,' Chief Bowen replied.
Rex nodded, looking over at me. 'Captain?'
'While we did not want this war, we are part of it. We will continue to lend aid and support to the local faction and help to defend local traders to the best of our ability. I will be flying missions near the carrier to aid those outside of our weapons envelope, rescuing and protecting those I can, and capturing any raiders that can be.'
I looked around the table at each person. 'Keep vigilant, and don't let your guard down. If there is any need, Rex and I need to know ASAP. Make sure your departments are kept up to date and report any problems as they arise.'
I smiled, looking at each of their faces. 'The bright side to this is there is going to be a boost in bonuses for each crewman by the time this is done.'
I looked over at Rex as everyone stood. 'Dismissed.'
Yatziri stayed behind, as everyone filtered out. ‘Where do you want me?’
‘Utilize Art, and do what you do best,’ I said, with a smile.
Yatziri smiled back. ‘Poor man is going to get corrupted, if it’s the last thing I teach him.’
We both laughed at that.