Kenneth Hammond
Introduction:
Complete
My education was like a jack of all trades and master of none. I graduated with several certificates in ship repair at the age of twenty. During the time I had gone to school I had lost everyone in another system raid. The Kyle Empire were ruthless and had not only destroyed the mining station but they had taken the time to destroy every lifeglobe.
Not only had there been no fleet in the system, there had been no defenses. It had taken half my credits to get to Olympus. The ships that had been damaged bad enough that they could not be used anymore were just shoved into the graveyard. I shouldered my kit bag and walked away from the busy cargo ship.
The personal transport stopped just long enough for me to jump off before it left. I walked the last three kilometers through the hulking wrecks of destroyers and cargo ships. The small building I stopped at had all the doors and windows open to let the air flow in. I stepped in and knocked on the door frame as I looked around.
It was a minute before a middle aged man stuck his head around another door frame. He stepped out and smiled, “lost?”
I tried not to stare at the false leg as I shook my head, “I wanted to use the yard ship list.”
He looked me over, “looking for spare parts?”
I shook my head again, “looking to play Frankenstein.”
He grinned, “what type of ship?”
I shrugged, “I think a smallish cargo ship.”
He walked closer and held out his hand, “Jacob McCandless.”
I took his hand and shook, “Edward Steele.”
He turned and gestured to a corner, “take your time.”
I glanced into the corner to see a modern comp on an old wooden desk. I nodded and crossed to sit in an old chair and bring the comp alive. The list of ships was extremely long but I focused on small cargo ships. I found the type I wanted near the end of the category. The small cargo ship type was a hundred years old and had been used during the civil wars.
I went over the records for the sixty ships left in the yard. I glanced at Jacob when he slipped a cup of coffee onto the desk, “you are looking for one of the old Pegasus class cargo ships?”
I sipped the coffee before glancing at the screen, “I think the class may work if I can find enough to make one ship.”
He grinned, “you have a crew?”
I shook my head, “first I use a molecular cutter and welder to rebuild one ship. I will put in a new reactor instead of an older model along with….”
Jacob chuckled, “I get the idea, Frankenstein.”
I smiled as I went back to the hard task of looking at each ship’s damage. When my stomach was growling so bad I could not think I sat back. I stretched and Jacob laughed from across the room with several other men. I glanced at him and then at the other men. He nodded to a small ship’s table with plates of sandwiches.
I nodded and stood before going to the table. I slipped a few credit chits into the cup that held others before grabbing a sandwich. Jacob crossed to me and nodded to another man, “this is Tom Joy. He was a gunner with me.”
I nodded and ignored his eye patch and scared face. He grinned, “Jacob said you are building a small cargo ship.”
I looked him over before looking at Jacob, “I intend to make a raider.”
They froze and looked at each other. I shrugged, “the Pegasus is perfect for two parallel 450 rail guns on each side with a ventral gravity phase lance and another on the belly.”
The other men came closer and Jacob grinned, “a parallel 450 rail gun will suck everything…”
He got a thoughtful look before looking at another man, “Peter? Would a new medium fusion antimatter reactor supply enough power for a Pegasus and two parallel 450 rail guns?”
The man stepped forward and nodded, “with only half its output.”
Jacob grinned as he looked back at me, “you would not be looking for a crew would you?”
I looked at the group of battle damaged men before smiling, “sure.”
As we ate I went over the ship plans and what I wanted to do or add. I woke in the small cot with warm scented air blowing through a window above me. Jacob turned and grinned when I sat up, “you do not sleep long do you?”
I smiled and looked around, “do you have someplace I can clean up?”
He nodded and gestured to the open door, “first wreck on the left. I keep the captain’s quarters operational.”
I nodded and stood before grabbing my kit bag on the way out. I had the day planned out as I walked out and looked around. The ship Edward directed me to was a small cargo ship missing most of the port and aft bulkheads. I found the quarters and washed before heading back to the shack. The others were waiting as I set my kit bag in a corner and led the way out.
A large salvage vehicle was beside the building and we headed deeper into the wrecks. I spent the day using the molecular cutter to remove damaged hull and some of the frame. The other men pulled out the remains of one wrecked engine and the life support systems. Over the next two weeks we slowly put together a ship.
The frame and hull might have been almost ancient but everything else was new. Our first test went a thousand percent better than planned. We tested every system over the next couple of weeks before I was ready. We used jump maps that were over a hundred years old with new danger information.
We used the older maps because no one used the jump points anymore. I carefully selected our first target system using fleet Intel. Normally a ship jumped out of a wormhole on the horizon heliopause. We appeared and jumped out straight up above the system. We started down in normal space as we started running passive scans.
David finally turned and grinned, “just like fleet, they only scan out to the horizon heliopause. We can skip in using micro holes to within five light minutes to Trevor Station.”
I grinned and relaxed and brought the ship alive and began the wormhole sequence to skip into the system. I glanced at the holos of David, Jacob, Tom and Peter, “get the reactor ready to go fully online Peter. Jacob, you and Tom wait for David to start the targeting scans when we get closer.”
Several hours later I glanced at David as he snorted, “only four ship out patrolling. The rest are docked with their reactors down.”
I glanced at his updated scan of the station, “what about the fighter bay on the station?”
He grinned, “barely readable energy readings.”
I nodded and glanced at the timekeeper counting down, “target the fighter bay with the 450s.”
I looked at Jacob and Tom, “arm your weapons.”
I smiled at Peter, “bring the reactor fully online.”
I made a last skipping wormhole jump before accelerating at full speed. All four weapons began firing and ships started exploding as the lances sliced through armored hulls to rupture reactors. The 450s ripped the fighter bay apart before they switched to destroyers. I started jamming as I turned and rolled the ship while we flashed above the station.
A second later I rolled and dove as our weapons continued to destroy everything they targeted. I turned and rolled again as I suddenly slowed and came to a stop and the weapons went silent. I used thrusters to bring us closer to a large cargo hatch as David called off the distance to the four warships closing with the station.
We were behind the station but he had kicked out several small remotes. I docked and slid out of my seat to run towards the hatch. Peter and Jacob were already there and the hatch was just opening. We moved into the panicked station and I ran to access the station cargo database. I turned and grinned, “bay seven below us.”
We closed the hatch and ran into the station corridors that already had people rushing around. We headed down and opened the large bay filled with Capsten seeds and anti matter containers. Peter started the loader bots as Jacob ran to the hatch and opened it and extended the hatch seal. David whispered that the four warships were patrolling the station.
Jacob and Peter began loading the cargo through our belly hatch as I went out to pull up another inventory. I ran down the corridor to a small secure bay and used a portable loader to bring back two large crates. I slipped them into our ship before dumping the loader in the station bay, “Peter! Jacob! Time to go!”
I waited and closed the hatch after they ran through. I ran for the bridge as they headed back to their stations. I slid into my seat and looked at the scan display David kept updating. Tom had kept a running passive target on each of the enemy ships for both his weapons and Jacobs and I glanced at the holo of Peter.
He grinned and nodded as I kicked us away from the station, “FIRE!”
All four weapons fired and the 450s continued to fire as the other two ships exploded. I spun and turned the ship before accelerating away at full power. One of the other two warship exploded as the other fired. David had already kicked out dozens of decoys that sparkled and sped away from us.
Two lances ripped through the last ship just before we began to skip out of the system. When we reached the heliopause I jumped. When we came out it was light years away from any known jump point, well any known point currently used. I relaxed as we headed towards our next wormhole jump.
Jacob and Tom walked onto the bridge and grinned, “cargo secure.”
I nodded and relaxed, “move the two crates I brought in. It is the sector payroll.”
They stared at me and David chuckled, “to bad the republic does not use their credits.”
I smiled as I opened the last wormhole and jumped into Olympus, “it is in Alterian trade credits.”
They stared at me and Peter grinned, “two cases?”
I opened the comm as I nodded, “fleet entry control, this is Pegasus’s Revenge entering with a cargo of Capsten seeds and anti matter containers.”
“Proceed to Delta Port and contact the planet controllers.”
I started moving as David looked at me, “what were the Kyle doing with Alterian trade credits?”
I smiled as I began to skip towards Olympus, “I have not the faintest but we can ask the fleet debriefer after I tell them.”
They grinned and then laughed as they found seats. Fleet was more than willing to buy the crystal armor seeds and the anti matter containers. We did spend a couple of hours in debriefing. We made sure to omit how we were able to sneak into Trevor and approach the station.
That was more of an internal security measure in case Kyle had spies in the fleet intelligence service. After everything was off loaded we moved the ship back to the graveyard to inspect it and plan another mission. The others went out to celebrate while I looked over a few old intelligence memos.
I made a few notes before going to bed. I spent the next week in the fleet intel library reading before pulling Jacob, Tom, Peter and David into the ship’s mess. I knew we were safe from spies and listening devises and laid out a plan. Our target was a system called Stanchen. It was far behind enemy lines and had two stations in the system.
One was a military shipyard and the other was a transfer station for their fleet supplies. I smiled and looked at Peter, “remember the old republic skip drones?”
He looked at me, “yeah.”
I glanced at the others, “think we can find or make one and load it with a ten gram anti matter warhead?”
They grinned and then Peter laughed, “no one has used one of those in decades.”
I nodded, “that is why I think it would work.”
Jacob sat back, “I think there is an old drone carrier in the very back of the yard.”
I looked at him and then leaned forward, “this is what we do…”
I laid out my plan as they listened and before I was done they were grinning and we went to find the drones. The drones were used mostly to skip into a system and relay grav scan information back to a ship. They were used before the wormhole skip movements were perfected for manned ships and before the scan technology made them obsolete.
The long wormhole jumps through Kyle territory was nerve wracking but we did not see any of their ships each time we emerged. The last jump we planned carefully and we emerged right where we wanted to be. I turned the ship and we coasted as Tom and Jacob opened a cargo door and sent the skip drone out.
When it was far enough away I sent the coded sequence and it jumped into its own tiny wormhole. As it began skipping into the system I glanced at David, “well?”
He looked at me in surprise, “I do not have any ships patrolling the system.”
I grinned and glanced at the green light of the closed cargo hold hatch. I accelerated and we started skipping into the system, “how does it look Peter?”
“I am putting the reactor fully online now.”
I smiled and glanced at the other holographs, “target any military ships at the station.”
David answered, “we have four armed transports on scan.”
I watched our distance as we got closer and grinned when there was no alarm or reaction before the skip drone impacted on the shipyard and the station disappeared in a huge explosion. We jumped out of the last skip wormhole and Jacob and Tom fired all the weapons at once. The four armed transports exploded as we changed target.
First Tom destroyed the scan array while Jacob put large holes through the two fighter bays. I slowed the ship and turned to bring it close to an empty cargo bay hatch. As soon as we had contact I was out of the seat and running, “watch the scan!”
Jacob, Tom and Peter met me at the cargo hatch. We mated and sealed it before Peter bypassed the alarm and locking mechanism. We opened the inner hatch and I ran across the bay to access the station cargo database. I grinned at Tom, Jacob and Peter, “three bays down and two counterclockwise.”
Peter nodded and closed the hatch to go to the bridge as Tom and Jacob came with me. We were in a little used area with only a few people. We opened the large cargo bay and closed it behind us. Jacob and Tom went to start the loaders as I ran to the outer hatch. I looked through to see the ship drifting closer.
A minute later I was opening the hatch and we started loading anti matter containers. Once the hold was full I turned from watching at the inner station hatch and ran for the ship. Tom closed the ship’s hatch as I ran through and headed towards the bridge, “anything on scan David!”
I slid into my seat as he shook his head, “nothing. They have been screaming non stop though.”
I kicked us away from the station before accelerating straight up and away, “starting our wormhole skips out.”
We made the upper heliopause before I finally opened the wormhole for a long jump. I glanced back when Tom and Jacob came in, “did you see the crests on the containers?”
They nodded and David looked at us, “what crest?”
I looked at him grimly, “Alterian.”
He shook his head, “we should hit them next.”
I sat back as we began the long trip back to Olympus, “if we find out they have joined Kyle we will.”
It was awhile before we jumped into Olympus and I opened the comm, “fleet entry control, this is Pegasus’s Revenge entering with a cargo of anti matter containers.”
“Proceed to Delta Port and contact the planet controllers.”
There seemed to be a lot more ships in the system. We off loaded at the main port and went to be debriefed. I learned then that it was not the Alterian empire that had allied with Kyle it was the clan Petrovich, which was a major merchant cartel. The fleet bought the containers and we moved the ship back to the graveyard.
The others were pissed about clan Petrovich joining the Kyle empire. As they went to celebrate I began doing some checking. It was a week before I had everyone come to the briefing in the ship’s mess. I had spent time in the fleet intel database as well as talking to a couple of Alterian merchant houses.
I waited until everyone was present before switching on the holograph, “Stalin’s World.”
I glanced at them as they sucked in a breath, “The other merchant houses can not interfere in clan Petrovich’s business dealings. The Alterian empire will issue a strongly worded rebuke to them but will not stop them from doing business with Kyle.”
I looked at the holograph and spun it, “this is a new shipyard with all new designs and ships under construction. They are already sold to the Kyle empire and the shipyard itself is leased to them.”
I rotated the holograph and pointed, “this is a new munition station also leased from clan Petrovich to the Kyle empire.”
I turned the holograph, “last is station Petrovich.”
I looked at my friends, “we are going to jump in and destroy the shipyard, the munition station and steal every credit on station Petrovich.”
I pulled up a station blue print, “we are going to use drones again to take out the munition station and the shipyard….”
Our jump out went smoothly and I glanced at everyone in their holo display, “kick the drones out.”
David continued to refine his scan data as Jacob, Tom and Peter pushed the two drones out the cargo bay hatch. I glanced at David when Peter called to report them clear, “ready?”
He nodded and sent target updates to both drones. I looked at the others before sending the go code and accelerating down into the system. We began skipping after the drones and Peter brought the reactor fully online. There were six large merchant ships at station Petrovich, by their signatures and transponders we knew they were clan Petrovich ships.
When we jumped out of the last wormhole Jacob and Tom fired and four of the six ships exploded. The two other stations exploded at almost the same time. We had used a bigger charge this time and the white glare brighten the screen before the computer darkened it. Tom killed another ship while Jacob switched to the scan arrays.
I turned the ship and we flashed past the station as I slowed and spun us around and under it. Tom fired again and the last ship was ripped apart as we slipped under the station and Jacob put several holes through it. I brought the ship up and turned before almost stopping completely. The primary docking hatch was clear and we slowly drifted to it.
Peter was at the hatch and sealed it as I left my seat and ran towards the cargo bay. I slipped through ahead of Tom and Jacob and moved through the large cargo bay filled with crates of assault weapons and combat equipment. I opened the inner hatch and put a breathing mask on as I headed deeper into the station.
Alarms and flashing lights were going off as well as an abandoned ship warning. David whispered in my ear that lifeglobes were fleeing the station as I moved through wider corridors. I walked into the huge commerce center for clan Petrovich. Two men turned and opened their mouths and I brought up my pistol and shot both men.
I walked to the large open vault and started using a hand loader. I stacked the four crates that were inside the vault in the loader before turning and heading back to the cargo bay. When I pushed the loader in Tom was by the door waiting, “we were getting ready to come after you.”
I smiled as he walked with me and we loaded the crates into the space left in our ship. I headed towards the bridge as Peter secured the hatch. Our way out was back the way we had come in. David’s scans showed the lifeglobes heading for Stalin’s World like earth pearls on a string. Our trip back to Olympus was a lot calmer and more relaxing.
By the time we finished the debriefing clan Petrovich was screaming about acts of war. The Alterian government were not making that much trouble since we had specified the targets we hit as owned or leashed by Kyle and legal targets in our war. In fact the Alterian government had seemed a little smug as if saying I told you so.
It was simple to sell the cargo we stole and deposit the trade credit chits. Kyle was furious and made a few raids into less protected civilian systems which pissed me off. Everyone was relaxing as I started looking for our next target. What I came up with was Dent. It was far in the rear of Kyle territory with two major construction shipyards.
It also had a huge munition supply depot, a equipment storage depot and their fleet sector payroll station. This time the timing was important, we needed to catch the payroll station with as much of the sector’s credits as we could. I laid out my plan carefully a few days later with everyone helping.
There were a few people asking around about the raiders but no one knew where we were. Jacob, Tom, Peter and David made sure to never tell anyone they were part of a raider crew. They also never told anyone where we kept the ship. Four skip drones filled the cargo bay and the anti matter warheads made us all nervous.
Our jump in went smoothly and we coasted towards Dent north heliopause as David used his passive scans. He looked at us, “they have three cruisers out. One by the munition depot another by the closest shipyard and the last by the station.”
I glanced at Jacob, “do you think the blast will effect them?”
Peter snorted, “if they are close to either target the blast will leave them blind and maybe crippled.”
I nodded and looked at our forward screen before deciding, “we will go with plan echo. Take out the cruiser before the fighter bays. If the other two are disabled we will take out the arrays on the station before going after them.”
They nodded and we started putting the skip drones out and arming them. I waited until they began skipping into the system before heading in. As we emerged the last time Jacob and Tom both fired a lance into the cruiser as four huge explosions ripped through the system. The cruiser above and to one side of the station exploded a moment later.
I turned the ship as both sets of rail guns ripped the fighter bays apart. I looked at David, “status on the other cruisers?”
He snorted, “they did not have shields up and broke apart.”
I nodded and opened the intercom, “take out the scan array and the starcomm.”
I brought the ship around and down under the station as Jacob put a couple of holes through it and Tom destroyed the array and starcomm. I slowed as I came up on the other side of the station and turned the ship before stopping. I used thrusters to do a hard dock and put everything on standby.
I ran to the cargo hatch and Peter was already opening both hatches. I went straight through with my weapon up and crossed to the far airlock out of the station loading dock. I waited for Jacob and Tom before closing the outer hatch and cycling through into the station. The hallway was empty as David reported escape pods leaving the station.
We headed towards the central vaults and the records room. Tom held a heavy data storage case and I plugged it in and started vacuuming all the records as Jacob went through the open vault doors. I had already made a check so we knew we could get fifty percent of the value for each Kyle credit.
When I was done I went to help Tom and Jacob as they moved crates of Kyle credits back to the loading dock and onto our ship. I headed to the bridge as Peter sealed our cargo bay and I moved us away from the station. We left the way we had come, straight up and out. We had managed to bring ten crates away and I was more than satisfied.
When we jumped into Olympus it was already busy from an incoming convoy. Unfortunately that drew a dozen Kyle warships. I spun the ship towards one as it jumped in to one side, “battle stations! Tom, Jacob put everything you have into that cruiser!”
Luckily they were in place and opened fire with lance and the rail guns. The cruiser exploded as it was ripped apart and I swept over the wreckage and right up behind another cruiser as it started a run on a large freighter. Jacob started firing as David hissed, “we have a destroyer behind us.”
Tom fired both the lance and rail gun at the destroyer as I twisted and spun the ship. The cruiser attacking the freighter broke apart. The destroyer coming after us exploded as I dodged the stream of rail rounds it fired. I looped up and around before rolling the ship to avoid another destroyer that with coming in.
Jacob fired the lance straight through it from end to end. Then it was Tom’s turn and he ripped it apart with the 450 rail guns. After that they were fleeing with our fleet chasing them. I brought the ship around as I listened to the comm chatter.
I broke in, “fleet entry control, this is Pegasus’s Revenge we will divert to our secondary landing site. Request a fleet intel officer for debriefing.”
“Copy Pegasus’s Revenge. We will pass along the request.”
I headed straight for the graveyard, “how do we look Peter?”
He chuckled, “considering we just took out two cruisers and two destroyers I think we look great.”
Everyone laughed and I grinned, “anything fall off?”
Peter shook his head, “everything is green.”
I glanced at David, “contact the fleet currency exchange and ask for an escort.”
He grinned and turned to do as I asked. I set us down in our slot in the graveyard and we began shutting down. Jacob and Tom came in and I looked at them, “we need to resupply our rail ammo and refuel.”
Jacob nodded, “already taken care of.”
It was a few hours before the intel officer arrived and by then we had already exchanged the Kyle credits and reloaded and refueled. I am not sure they really believed our other reports but this time it was a full colonel that debriefed us and I had the impression he was paying attention to what was said and left out.
Like from what direction we entered the system and how we had destroyed the other targets. We were wealthy many times over but we were not doing it for money. Peter was the one to suggest our next target. Arc was in the very middle of the Kyle empire and had four shipyards as well as a resupply station and orbital farms around the major planet.
They wanted to destroy the farms but I put an end to that, we do not kill innocents like Kyle. I sat in on a few intel briefings and got a few discrete reports. I also had another idea and had Peter and David check it before we began looking for parts. The skip drones were old and out of date in a lot of ways, including size.
The new technologies were both more compact and less noisy scan wise. We spent a week putting together new skip drones half the size of the old ones with ten gram anti matter warheads. There were a few attacks during that week but fleet was always there to defend the system.
As we moved through the long disused jump points we were a little nervous. The last jump was the worst and we appeared and sat silently as we watched a dozen warships moving around in the system. David finally turned to grin, “they just brought in the four freighters at the shipyards.”
I glanced at the others and Jacob snorted, “we still can not attack with that many warships in the system.”
David shook his head, “they are not going to stay, those are Grendals which means they are bringing the shipyard metals to keep building ships. They are going to be there awhile unloading and those are escorts so they will not stay.”
I sat back, “we stay silent and use passives. If the warships leave within a day the plan is a go.”
I glanced at Peter’s holo, “put everything on standby except life support and the scan array.”
He nodded as I looked at Jacob and Tom, “anyone for a game of cards?”
They grinned and their holos shut down. Sixteen hours later David sat up, “the warships are skipping.”
I had just awakened from a nap and was sipping coffee, “which way?”
There was silence before he turned to grin, “the heliopause and out. They left two old destroyers that docked at the resupply station.”
I grinned and watched the display before waking Peter, Tom and Jacob. As soon as the ships jumped out I nodded to Peter’s holo, “bring everything off standby.”
I looked at the twin holographs with Jacob and Tom, “kick out the skip drones.”
It was several minutes before Jacob was back, “out and standing by.”
I looked at David as he began programing each with their targets. He finally nodded to me and I took a breath, “send them.”
I waited a few moments after they left before heading in. The four shipyards exploded as we skipped out above the station. Tom and Jacob fired at the same time with both the lance and rail guns. The two destroyers exploded as we flashed past the station. I twisted the ship and turned as Tom ripped the fighter bay apart.
A moment later Jacob was destroying the lower the scan array. We came up the other side and Tom killed the upper array as Jacob blew the comm array off the station. I brought the ship around and down before stopping suddenly as the emergency lifeglobes erupted and sped away from the station.
I looked at David and he shrugged so I moved to a cargo bay and did a hasty dock, “air masks people.”
I put the ship on standby and ran for the cargo hold. Tom and Jacob met me and we opened the hatch and then the station hatch. I stood looking at the bay packed with anti matter containers, “I guess that is why they abandoned the station.”
Jacob slapped my shoulder, “head up to the dispersing office while we load the containers.”
I smiled as I crossed the bay and opened an inner hatch. I went through the empty corridors and up a few levels before crossing a litter strewn hall. The large room I walked into had been abandoned so fast they had not even shut down the computers. I sat at a desk and plugged in a comp relay.
I started a data dump on where supplies had come from and where they had been sent over the last year. I stood and glanced around before crossing to a large open safe. I smiled and pulled out the ledger comp from a top shelf before leaving with four heavy bags of credits. I trotted into the loading bay and crossed to the hatch.
Our cargo bay was full and Tom grinned as he started closing the hatch. I dropped the four bags as I ran for the bridge. I made a check before undocking and moving away from the station and glanced at David, “anything?”
He shook his head, “the life globes are still heading for the planet.”
I began skipping out the way we had come in. The jumps home went smoothly and even the trip into Olympus was without incident. We unloaded the anti matter containers after the fleet paid for them and then moved the ship back to the graveyard. Jacob left with the bags of credits to exchange them while we began to refuel and load ammo.
Jacob came back with a huge grin, “Kyle has requested a truce to discuss a surrender.”
I looked at the others, “did we give it?”
He nodded, “we have four senators coming out and the fleet Admiral.”
I turned as I thought before looking at them again, “they say where the surrender would be?”
Jacob nodded, “right here in Olympus.”
I shook my head, “on the planet?”
He shook his head, “from what I heard they are going to use a small liner in orbit.”
I shook my head, “it is a trap.”
They looked at each other and I headed through the ship to the ship’s mess. I stopped at the table and pulled up a holograph of the system. The others followed me in and I smiled grimly, “we need to get to work building a lot more skip drones. How long before the meet Jacob?”
He shrugged, “a week.”
I nodded and took a breath, “they will bring a whole fleet to supposedly protect their representatives. They will use spies or delay using a shuttle until the senators and the fleet admiral are onboard the liner. That is when they will attack and destroy it as well as be close enough to attack the bases on the planet.”
They looked at each other and I reached out to touch a spot in high orbit, “we are going to be here. We will kick out as many drones as we can and use passive scans to target their ships. It is a short skip from where they should have their fleet so at the first shot we can launch before they begin to move.”
They grinned and I looked at them, “if we survive we will be going to Kyle to send our own message.”
We were done twelve hours before the meeting and boarded the ship and lifted. The area around the liner was restricted and several warships from both sides were already in place. We stopped in the spot I had plotted and went to sleep. Six hours later we were up and pushing drones out and preparing them.
We had a lot more and when the Kyle fleet arrived we kicked out a few more. As they skipped in and took up positions David used the passive scan to lock each ship into the drones as targets. Like I thought they made excuses for their diplomats but ours shuttled to the liner. As soon as it docked the Kyle fleet sent the message that the truce was off.
Even as missiles streaked out towards the liner I hit the fire sequence for the drones. They skipped and then the Kyle fleet vanished as the liner exploded. I growled as I spun the ship and accelerated, “back stabbing bastards.”
I opened the comm, “fleet control this is Pegasus’s Revenge.”
“Stay off the net Pegasus’s Revenge.”
I smiled, “if I were you I would be preparing for another Kyle fleet to attack.”
I began skipping and glanced at the others, “ready to send a message?”
They nodded and I continued to the heliopause before plotting a jump and opening the wormhole. We did not see anyone as we kept jumping to long unused jump locations. We came out above Kyle and beyond their heliopause. I watched David as we sat tensely and he used the passive scan.
He finally glanced at me, “they have two full fleets in the system.”
I smiled, “we are not going after ships.”
He nodded and turned back to his scans, “there is six military space stations and four stations in close orbit around Kyle.”
I looked at Tom and Jacob, “kick out all the drones.”
I looked at David, “target each station and then create a ring just outside the atmosphere.”
He looked at me, “how close?”
I looked at the forward screen, “close enough to let them know the next time will be the last.”
He grinned and turned, “I can do that.”
Ten minutes later he gestured and I fired the drones. We watched as they skipped away and it was awhile before the six stations were ripped apart. The huge ring around the planet would do a lot of secondary damage. I turned the ship and plotted a jump before opening the wormhole. By the time we returned to Olympus the chaos there had settled.
Three days later Kyle surrendered unconditionally. We celebrated with everyone else which took a week. Of course I stopped after the first day and returned to the ship graveyard and Jacob’s. By the time the others returned I had another ship for us to put together. It was a huge armed freighter.
I was thinking of going to another quadrant that was not at war and maybe find a few ladies.
