Exploration (18 page)

             
"Status of weapons and shields?"

             
"Weapons are hot and shields are fully deployed. Backup fusion generator number three is still giving us problems. Engineering has it offline until they can figure out why it's so flakey."

             
"Is that an engineering term number one?"

             
"No sir i
t’
s not...but the actual term used by the Chief Engineer was less appropriate and far more colorful."

             
Captain Roberts grinned and sat in the command chair. "Nothing to be done for it now, I suppose. Still the damn ship is brand new...you'd think things like this would be covered by the warranty."

             
Roberts toggled his comm. "Engineering, tell me that reactor is not going to be a problem."

             
"Chief Montgomery here, Captain. I've got the containment field down. We fixed the intermittent flux issue but then we started getting some type of feedback harmonic that I was afraid might destabilize one or more of the other reactors."

             
"How is that possible? Aren't they isolated?"

             
"That's the thing sir...they are. But we are still seeing a limited amount of unexplained coupling. It shouldn't happen, but it is. I have the ship's AI doing a deep diagnostic but it will take several more hours."

             
"What's our status without that reactor?"

             
"Well, i
t’
s a backup. If we lose one of the primaries we'll be down to 50 percent plus batteries. Of course, that's assuming the problem is with the reactor itself and not one of the interlinked support systems."

             
"Do what you can Chief. It looks like we may be entering a slug fest at any moment. I'd hate to have to pull out early if I can avoid it."

             
"I'm on it, Sir. Engineering out."

             
"Ensign Mayweather, give me an update. How many Modos ships have emerged?"

             
"Twenty-four, sir. The transit conduit has closed so this may be it."

             
The First Officer stepped over to the Captain and handed him a tablet. "Our orders from the
Yorktown
are to hold position. The particle wash from the Modos emergence is traveling at about .6 c. It should impact our shields in another two minutes."

             
"Signal the Yorktown. Report our status as fully operational and ready to engage on their 'go.'"

             
The next several minutes crawled by. The GCP task force consisted of sixteen
Yorktown
class ships, as well as twenty-eight enhanced heavy
Bowman
class frigates. On top of these ships, there were over a hundred fast attack pinnaces that were heavily shielded and mounted a single TeraJoule laser cannon each as well as several dozen tactical "Sandy" mines. These devices could generate a cloud of specially crafted deconstruction nanites that were programmed to disassemble any material they encountered that could not provide an approved response to a friend/foe challenge.

             
Commander James checked his status board and turned towards the Captain. "Our shields should start encountering the exit wash any moment."

             
On cue the ship shuttered slightly as the first of the highly energetic particles began to wash over her shields. The forward view screen started to dim automatically in response to the  influx of energy.

             
"Our shields are at 86 percent and holding. We should be able to weather this just fine sir," Mayweather reported.

             
Commander James would remember those fateful words later. He was one of the few on the bridge that would. 

Chapter Eighteen: A Secret No Longer...

Captain Jason Ruck raced to the bridge. He had been playing a pickup game of racquetball with a group of over-ambitious gluttons-for-punishment from engineering. Jason was a master racquetball player who rarely lost, unless he was playing Cat Kimbridge.  The game was cut short by the blaring of a battle klaxon. While he ran he queried Cal, the ship's AI, for a status. Thus he was fully aware of the Modos incursion as he settled in the command chair recently vacated by his weapons officer, Commander Martinescu.

Anticipating his first request, his communications officer spoke up. "All ships of the line including the
Mador
are reporting ready, Sir. The
GCP Broadchurch
has two fully cloaked pinnaces in close proximity to the emergence point. Neither was in the direct path of the exit wash."

"Very good, Lieutenant.  How long before our ships are free of the particle wash?"

"The
Mador
and her sixteen frigates are the closest. They are just encountering the primary wave now. They should be clear in another four minutes."

"Captain!" Martinescu yelled. "Sensors are detecting another hyperfield conduit opening up. Good Lord sir...it's practically right on top of them! Less than a tenth of an AU out."

"On top of who?"

"The
Mador
, Sir. Their shields are already fully engaged. They are blind right now. They will never know what hit them!"

"Comm, signal the
Mador
. Let them know they are about to have their butts handed to them in a bag."

Jason unconsciously gripped the edge of his seat. The Modos had used the first exit event to shield the second. It was brilliant and required a degree of coordination he had not expected.

"Signal the fleet. Engage the enemy at will. I want a microjump solution. Get me between those two waves of ships. Signal the
Harold-White
and
Alcubierre
groups to provide cover for the
Mador
!"

On the forward view screen the holo-emitters faithfully reproduced the battle occurring near the
Mador
. Several of the nearby frigates flared and disappeared from his screen as their shields proved inadequate for the massive particle wave that enveloped them.

The
Mador
herself hung dead in space. Her hull pitted and charred as her shields were overloaded. The Modos fleet, now a full sixty ships strong, surged forward. Their plasma beams lashed out at any ship that showed any sign of life.

The
Broadchurch
, a heavy
Bowman
frigate, had the good sense to deploy a full round of Sandys. For a moment the Modos attack was stalled as a number of their ships began to dissolve into shimmering metallic clouds.

The Modos fleet, however, soon learned that a wide sweep with a plasma beam could eliminate the threat.  While Jason watched yet another hyperfield conduit formed.

He signaled Admiral Faragon. "Sir, it looks like the Modos have fully engaged. We are a GO to implement the second part of your plan."

The holographic image of the Fleet Admiral fluttered into view. "Very good, Captain. I'll signal the others. Continue to keep them busy while we get in position. Timing is going to be critical. Faragon, out."

***

    A universe away, Captain Muddog of the Dreadnaught
MS Divine Retribution
blinked twice. The Syndicate task force had arrived at the last known position of the
MS Deepdive
. What they found boggled the mind. The
Deepdive
was an expanding cloud of debris! The cause was apparently in orbit around an intersystem moon. It was a massive weapons platform of alien construction. The orbit was shared by a damaged slaver matching the description of the suspected rebel ship called the
Bluefin
.

A quick search of the debris field found a heavily damaged but perfectly readable log buoy. The story it told was damning and frightening. The
Deepdive
had attacked the larger ship with virtually no warning. By all accounts the weapons platform was not even in a defensive posture. It's shielding and weapons systems seemed to be in standby. The
Deepdive
had fully engaged with absolutely everything in its arsenal. The alien craft seemingly shrugged off the attack and reflected it straight back at the
Deepdive
. The
Deepdive
was destroyed and the alien craft hadn't even brought its weapon systems online!

Aware that the Chairman did not tolerate failure and that his mission was to sterilize this system, he made a snap decision. "Put me on fleet-wide," he yelled.

"Channel open, Captain," a young ensign barked back smartly.

"This is Muddog. I want each of the three Dreadnaughts and their frigates to split off.
Moontide
assemble your group and take out what is left of the
Bluefin
.
Storm Wind
will engage the weapons platform. Kinetic and nuclear weapons only. No beam weapons.
Moontide
will assist as soon as their primary goal is accomplished. My team will sterilize the moon with our nukes. That big ship is powerful. Keep your distance. Your job is not to beat it, but to keep it busy. Once the
Retribution
has slagged the moon we will regroup and consider our options."

"Captain!"

Muddog turned to glare at his sensor officer. How dare he interrupt him while he was giving orders!

The officer in question gulped but continued. "Sir, There has been a launch from the target moon's surface. It's a starship sir...and it's big!"

***

Cat sat in the command chair of
SXS 4400
. The Suhtii Expatriation Ship was designated by a simple sequential number in its computer logs. Ken, with the help of Sassi and the
Bluefin
engineering team, had checked the ship from stem to stern. A handful of minor circuits failed to come back online when the ship's power systems were restored. The WhimPy platform helped to custom fabricate replacement components, and now the ship was completely deemed operational.

The computer core had been updated with a Heshe Encounter Unit. The HEU provided realtime translation to all interfaces. In addition, the HEU overrode numerous internal security measures, apparently designed to prevent a Modos crew from running or even traveling on the ship. Yhsif had been badly burned when a Bridge sensor came online during power up. Only Cat's lightning reflexes had saved him from a more serious fate. A member of the
Bluefin
security team had not been so lucky.

Cat scanned the bridge. Running Stream was familiarizing himself with the navigational systems. They seemed to be a slightly more complex version of what he was used to working with on the
Bluefin
. This seemed to give credence to the thought that Modos technology was based on Suhtii prior work.

"Any luck with that lockout?" Cat asked the Modos captain.

"The damn thing seems hardwired," Running Stream grunted in disgust.

He had been fiddling with the navigation console for the better part of a day. Sassi had been called in at one point to do a computer diagnostic, to no avail. It seemed this ship was designed to launch and hyperjump to a predetermined point in space. The system would not allow a deviation from the designated destination, nor would it actually indicate where the destination was.

Cat supposed this system had been devised so that a captured ship could not easily be used to follow the fleeing Suhtii. Despite this, that is essentially exactly what Cat was hoping to do. The original crew had aborted their mission because the device used to cloak launches had failed. In Cat's mind that was no longer an issue, as there were currently no hostile Modos in system to watch a launch. At least that had been the case when she had given the order to initiate launch.

"Engines powering up Admiral," Ben reported from his station.

"Sensors are indicating an opening in the caldera's roof," Ken added.

Lieutenant Sassi fluttered his low frequency antenna and then turned towards Cat.  "Ma'am, we are now under full automation control. The ship's computer has locked us out as expected." 

"OK everyone..." Cat announced on a ship-wide channel. "We are officially committed. May God grant us 'fair winds and following seas.'"

Regrettably it was not to be. No sooner were the words out of Cat's mouth, than WhimPy-101 sent her and the entire GCP contingent a priority alert. A large task force consisting of almost thirty ships had just jumped into system, and even now was making for the moon base.

"Can we abort?" Cat yelled. "The neighborhood just got a whole lot less friendly."

At Running Stream's questioning look she added "It looks like the Modos Syndicate has sent about thirty ships to find out what happened to that Dreadnaught."

Sassi and Running Stream fought with their respective controls but the computer lockout was complete. They would be seen leaving, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Can your big friend in orbit neutralize them?" Running Stream said while continuing to frantically work his board.

"WhimPy's are defensive platforms. Their ethical subroutines won't permit them to take offensive action."

"Whose crazy idea was it to add an ethical subroutine to a weapon of war?"

Cat bit her lip before answering her friend. "My home world was almost destroyed by them before those routines were added by their creators. Trust me...you do not want to meet an angry WhimPy."

Sassi interupted. "It's a moot point now, Admiral. We've been seen. A Dreadnaught and about nine smaller ships are now on an intercept course."

Cat toggled her commlink. "WhimPy...we are locked out of navigation here. I can't even go to evasive maneuvers. Is there any way you can shield us?"

"I will microjump between the pursuing vessels and your ship. At that point I'll erect a hyperfield that should effectively shield you from any potential attacks," the Heshe AI responded.

"Are you at risk from so many ships?" Cat asked.

WhimPy-101 did something Cat rarely heard. He laughed. "To be honest Admiral, I'm more concerned about your ship than the Modos fleet. I've analyzed the energy signature of their armaments and engines. I do not believe they will pose a significant threat. Your ship on the other hand is a different matter."

"Explain?"

"I am unfamiliar with your hyperfield generator's configuration. I am currently running simulations and the results are...troubling."