Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 1 - Alien Flight (8 page)

The three remaining boats continued to press home the attack on the frigate, as it changed course again to starboard and increased speed to thirty five knots. With the main gun now blocked from firing by the rest of the frigate, the .50 gauge heavy machine guns and the two Gatling point defense guns continued to fire on the attackers. The militant boats then launched a barrage of RPG weapons fire at maximum elevation on the frigate. The bridge crew was alarmed as one of the two Gatling guns went silent with a mechanical failure.

The RPG fire from the boats fell too short, and apart from two grenades striking and exploding along the frigates modest armor belt near the water line, the attack was futile. The militant boats again attacked, as the Seahawk returned and claimed the earlier boat it had damaged previously. The last two boats angled away from one another but did not attempt to flee. The remaining Gatling gun and the heavy machine guns tore into their hulls; the militant crews launched a different type of weapon at the frigate.

The Gunnery officer paused in disbelief and shouted out, ‘Sir they are TOW weapons….’ as the more powerful handheld weapons launched by the attacking boats raced along at the ends their wires to the frigate. Two large explosions rattled the frigate as the two heavier TOW rounds struck the rear of the ship. Steve flinched and turned to the officers on the bridge from the bridge window, as the last of the militant boats erupted into a fireball.

‘XO, the attackers are destroyed. Please get aft to the hangar deck and get a detailed report on the damage.’

‘Navigation, reduce speed and head due south, we will pickup the medical team on sunrise.’

‘Communications get the Seahawk to tail us south until we have a report on the hangar deck.’

As the first lieutenant raced for the rear of the ship, Steve quickly studied the first reports from elsewhere in the ship. Five ratings were injured by shrapnel from the RPG rounds on the two waterline hits, but engineering reported no major damage.  Steve was more concerned with what the last minute of battle had done to his ship, and awaited with unease the report from his executive officer.

                                                            ***

During the tense wait for the frigate to return, Lieutenant Samantha Edwards had collated new reports of militant assassin teams rampaging through the city towards the business district and the dock areas. Sporadic gun battles occurred as the under-gunned local police force attempted to neutralize them. She knew that the whole region would be dangerous for westerners to operate in for several months until the local authorities could restore order.

The medical team monitored the satellite phones and kept careful watch, as they could hear several distant explosions at sea far to the north. It looked like HMAS Perth had found the militant boats reported earlier by the local authorities. Several of her team had out binoculars on the fly bridges of the pleasure cruisers, and excited bursts of conversation occurred for twenty minutes. Eventually both the horizon and the upper decks of the pleasure cruisers fell silent. Samantha said a silent prayer as one of the satellite phones rang. After a brief conversation with the lieutenant commander, she called in her senior team and the three masters of the pleasure cruisers.

At first light, and after a few hours of fitful sleep by the medical team, the three pleasure cruisers had left the dock are for the short journey out to the frigate. The lieutenant commander would not consider docking in the small harbor in light of the recent combat. Several team members expressed muffled sighs as they saw the damage inflicted on the frigate. The portside Gatling gun was missing from its mount and a gaping hole was apparent in the hangar bay door. Further damage was also present on the portside waterline from two smaller strikes and the cover of the starboard Gatling gun was off as well. The Seahawk helicopter was securely strapped down on the hangar deck as the helicopter could not be housed in the damaged hangar.

After the medical team came aboard, Samantha, three of her best surgeons, and several of her nurses raced for the sick bay rooms. The frigate soon cleared the last of the pleasure boats that had come alongside with the medical team. As she understood the situation, when the two TOW missiles had struck HMAS Perth they had killed four crew members and injured another nine. This was in addition to the initial injuries suffered by five crew members injured in the RPG attack just before the TOW strike.

After scrubbing up, Samantha quickly donned a surgical outfit, and then sought the medical charts of the most seriously wounded crew members. The very busy ship’s doctor and his aides were delighted both from a personal and a professional sense to see her team safely about the ship. They knew that the medical team had some of the best medical personnel available, and they could really use their assistance.

Steve watched the forty members of the medical team board ship, and after conferring quietly with his XO ordered the ship to set course for Singapore at flank speed. The frigate would use the stop over in Singapore to airlift the injured and dead crew members back to Australia for urgent medical treatment. Also temporary repairs could be made to the hangar deck, and additional fuel and food taken aboard for the return trip to the HMAS Stirling naval base. As Steve prepared his report to his superiors at the naval base, he pondered his likely conversation to his friend in the Malaysian Navy. The TOW weapons were one thing his friend had better be advised about he decided.

                                                            ***

Chapter 4

The sensor chimes awoke Omerio towards the end of his long sleep. A very large lone ship had entered the system shortly beforehand and was edging towards the second planet at speed. Omerio rubbed his eyes and shoulders by habit and ambled over to the control console. He grunted to himself in satisfaction as his passive scan identified the agreed race and class of ship according to his briefing notes. Omerio quickly sent a low powered tight beam signal to the ship with the agreed identification codes.

‘It would do well to get this right straight away….’ he thought to himself. ‘I would hate for these folks to get trigger happy if I surprised them.’

Omerio ran up the ships engines as the larger ship responded via a terse tight beam response. The Barus trading ship edged out of the shadow around the asteroid, and easily closed the gap to the larger Trader ship well before it arrived at the second planet. Once the two ships were in close proximity to one another, they began a video briefing session, and the broad impassive features of the Trader captain filled the view screen on Omerio’s ship.

‘Well met Omerio, of the house of Skanine, of the noble race of Barus, may the light of true justice temper your life.’

As always the Traders acknowledged the standing of members of races they considered in good faith, down to their clan levels, considered Omerio as he responded in kind.

‘Well met, Captain Lord Narindestat of the Trader house of Bar Oberon, may the temperance and wisdom of the revered Deltas Vass bless you and continue to illuminate your path.’

Omerio was relieved that at least the basics of the diplomacy protocols are being observed. He knew that if the communications were between any other vassal races then he could spend valuable time observing the political and social standings. He knew this was especially true with the Tilmud, who were sticklers for protocol and keen to take offence at perceived slights. By mutual and tacit understanding both Trader captain and Barus operative ignored further comment at an extended protocol level. Omerio knew that the required acknowledgements of their compliance to the controlling Zronte edicts were socially offensive to the otherwise stoic Traders.

‘Fair enough…’ thought Omerio. ‘I’ll not comment on his glowing tattoos and he will not comment on my bare brown shoulders. Plus neither of us will comment on our relative lack of offspring as well.’

Omerio forwarded his scanning date of the earlier ship having entered the system to the Trader captain, with his observations and opinions. The Trader captain responded after several minutes of quiet thought.

‘Omerio, we will look into the strange ship at a more convenient time. Now the trading exchange has changed to a three way affair and we are the middle-men or agents for the trade. Trust me you don’t really want to know who we are trading with later in this exchange. So have you got the agreed cargo on board your ship?

The Barus operative thought about this information from the Trader captain. At least the cargo was not traceable by any means he was aware, and also the captain was keeping some pretence of civility by not scanning his hold.

‘Captain Narindestat, The cargo is as specified by our mutual contact as a minimum transaction. I trust it meets with your satisfaction, and I do have other cargo for trade on board.’

‘Very good Omerio, now we will dock together in high orbit around the second planet and take aboard your cargo. I don’t want to commit my ship further until the third party arrives. Note that as last resort we can stow your ship inside our large ship if you think you were followed or spotted.’

Omerio reassured the Trader captain that this option was not required, as he would like to remain in this part of the galaxy for the foreseeable future. He further examined the massive Trader ship as both ships slowed to take up a geo-synchronous orbit around the cold second planet. The Trader ship easily dwarfed his own fast trader; the main ship was in the form of a massive lifting wing complete with six solid docking pylons each on the top and bottom surfaces of the huge armed freighter. He noted that ten of the twelve docking pylons were occupied by a frigate sized Trader sneak ship each larger than his own sleek trading ship.

Omerio continued his observations, by now he had discretely started doing passive scans on the Trader ship. Of particular interest was the large cylindrical hyper-drive module, probably a legendary type two hyper-drive, docked at the back of the Trader ship.  The module itself had four more sneak ships docked to it. The combination of main ship and module was known as ‘the stack’ by anyone who knew even a little about the Traders. The Barus scientific community was fascinated by the rumored performance of the advanced hyper drive module. All the more so because the vassal edicts issued by the Zronte overlords expressly prohibited any of the vassal races from possessing this type of technology.

Omerio knew was that once the transfer of cargoes had occurred, then the Trader ship would undock from the rear hyper-drive module. The module would remain in orbit with the escort of four sneak ships, and the main ship would then land on the planet well after he had left this star system. The Barus traders’ observations were interrupted by the Trader captain as the two ships reached the required position.

‘Omerio, please dock at the rear of the cargo hold on the right wing of our main ship. We have altered our external docking systems to accommodate your ship.’

Omerio leisurely flew his heavily laden small ship above the huge Trader ship well away from the hyper-drive module. As he approached he could see several large Trader waldo units standing on the Trader ship hull well back from his docking point. He turned on the landing lights for his ship, and as he reached the docking point he cut his engines. The Barus ship drifted lightly as three gantries slowly rose from the trailing edge of the Trader ship, and effortlessly extended out to engage the three standard and widely spaced docking points on his own ship.

Captain Narindestat again spoke on the radio.

‘Omerio, we will not take long to make this transfer. We have included a few extra items in the exchange, both to reward you and to encourage further business. Apart from the agreed biological samples, we have an improved portable fusion generator that would be of interest to you as we have included the design notes. Also we have several pallets of rare metals that are coming across to you as well.’

Omerio was speechless as he viewed the inventory of rare metals. For this trade run was turning out to be lucrative beyond belief, providing he survived of course. He responded in kind to the Trader captain.

‘Captain, I actually earlier obtained three of the new cruiser guns in pieces. I do want to keep one of course, but you now take the other two guns please. Also we have obtained several small shields of improved design that may benefit your sneak ship design. I am confident that the designs of these shields will scale reasonably well, so please take all but one of each of these shields.’

Now it was the turn of the Trader captain to review the transaction and offer no comment. Omerio sweated as he viewed the cameras in the cargo hold as the Trader waldos removed their assigned cargo items and replaced them with his new trade items. The Traders had a reputation for discretion and fairness that was truly justified he thought. Omerio was well aware that if it was Tilmud mercenaries in his ship’s cargo hold instead then he would be very concerned that one of them would kill him for his ship. Even if his ship was secured from incidental boarding, he knew that an armored and armed waldo unit was a completely different proposition.

Captain Narindestat considered the excellent progress of the clandestine cargo transfer. When the third party arrived here after the Barus trader had left he would stick to the letter of the trade. For he did not hold the Jerecab race in the same regard as he did the Barus race. The Trader would offer as agreed a cruiser gun and one of the improved fusion generators; he would keep the spare cruiser gun, the balance of the fusion generators, and all the smaller shield designs for his own return to Trader space. As the docking party sent a transfer completed message, Narindestat bid Omerio farewell.

‘Omerio, please heed my advice and leave this star system immediately via the agreed vector, we cannot have even an inkling of our meeting to be detected. Until we met again farewell, and may the sacred teachings illuminate your life.’