Amantus
Copyright© 2026 by QM
Chapter 8
On board the stealth frigate Orrilion, there was a tense discussion between the Captain and the detection suite officer.
“Did they ping us?” Captain Arla demanded.
“It’s possible, ma’am; their long-range scanning is very powerful,” Lieutenant Commander Teci replied. “Problem is, they have gone dark after a ten-G burst.”
“So they could be sneaking up on us?”
“They aren’t stealthy themselves, Captain, but if that’s a cruiser, yes, it’s possible.”
“Log the details of that scan,” Arla ordered. “Looks like the Protectorate has surprised our tech division.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Teci replied, already entering the information into the AI interface on the detection suite.
“Do you think they’ll challenge us openly?” Arla’s defence coordinator asked.
“Depends on whom they have over there, it’s not like we’re supposed to be here,” Arla admitted.
“If it’s one of their idiot nobles, it’s likely,” the coordinator shrugged. “Then again, going dark is a very smart move, so chances are they aren’t a noble.”
“Very well, we’ll carry on the mission and take out that smuggler group that’s been raiding Tembal,” Arla decided. “We know they are using Merrin to avoid our patrols, but hopefully, they won’t expect us.”
“Do we still have a lock?” Mance asked Casz.
“Yes, Captain, their stealth is good, but not as good as the detection system we just acquired,” Casz replied.
“Next question, do they have a lock on us?”
“Unless they’ve had a breakthrough in their tech systems, it’s unlikely, Captain,” Casz answered thoughtfully. “Though as that appears to be a new class, they may have something new.”
“Any idea what they are doing here?” Zaka asked.
“Lying in an ambush, I expect,” Mance shrugged. “Planet raiders use this system to escape pursuit from the Trema Confederation.”
“Do we interfere?”
“No, we just review a new class of Trema warship,” Mance decided. “Though I might step in if they get into trouble.”
“Might get us into trouble,” Zaka chuckled. “But it won’t be for the first time.”
“Detecting XD emanations approaching the system,” Amantus announced as Casz monitored the Treman vessel. “Four of them, surrounding a larger vessel.”
“Plot transition point,” Mance ordered Herri.
“On it, course laid in to helm, sir,” Herri replied.
“Treman vessel is powering up its drive,” Casz announced.
“Helm, follow in its wake,” Mance ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Lorra replied.
“Detecting Tronek raiding party,” Teci informed Arla.
“Transition point?” Arla asked Lieutenant Dovis on the nav suite.
“Detected, plot sent to helm, ma’am,” Dovis replied.
“Move us to intercept, but keep an eye on our tail.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the bridge crew replied.
“Why would the Troneks be stopping here?” Amantus asked Casz.
“False flagging,” Zaka answered for Casz. “Looks like they’ve been raiding the Tremans and will now want to disguise their origins as they pass through Protectorate space as they take a roundabout route to Arconia via the Ordentian system.”
“If we detect a Tronek signature, we could attack,” Mance mused. “We may get a reprimand, but I can fob it off as an overreaction to the antimatter attack.”
“Sounds like a plan, Captain,” Zaka chuckled.
“I think we’re being followed, Captain,” Teci informed Arla.
“Looks like they did detect us,” Arla sighed.
“Yes, ma’am, though they haven’t interfered.”
“Probably opening a book on us as we’ll be the first of this class to be seen by them,” Arla nodded. “Distance to targets?”
“Seven relchems, Captain,” Lieutenant Halla at the helm replied.
“Charge all weapons, load missile pods,” Arla ordered. “Just as we practised.”
“Six relchems,” Halla counted down. “Five.”
Launch missiles, set to auto-detect.”
“Missiles launched, ma’am,” the defence coordinator announced.
There was a slight pause, then Teci announced. “Troneks emerging.”
“Target destroyers, all hyperbeams fire!” Arla commanded.
The front end of the Orillion exploded into four pale-blue beams, each hitting an individual destroyer. This was followed by explosions from the missiles, erupting among the floundering Troneks.
“Three down,” Teci announced. “We have targeting emissions washing all over us from the remaining destroyer.”
“Evasive manoeuvres,” Arla announced.
“They’ve locked on,” Teci warned. “Whoa!”
“What happened?” Arla demanded.
“Tronek destroyer has been vapourised by the Protectorate cruiser, ma’am.”
“We’re being hailed,” Comms announced.
“On cube,” Arla sighed.
“Greeting, this is Captain Mance of the Protectorate Cruiser Lignet, the uniformed man on the cube greeted Arla in oddly accented basic. “May I know whom I am speaking to?”
“I am Captain Arla of the Confederation Fleet Command ship Orrilion,” Arla replied.
“Well done on taking out those Tronek planet raiders,” Mance continued. “But you may have noticed, you’re in the Protectorate-claimed planetary system of Nimta.”
“There is no formal acceptance of your claim by the Confederation, Captain,” Arla carefully replied.
“Indeed not,” Mance agreed. “Hence our aid in dealing with the Troneks, and a polite warning as to our claim.”
“Duly noted, Captain Mance.”
“Also, you should be aware that some Tronek destroyers have taken to carrying antimatter mines,” Mance continued.
“Really? I was not aware of this,” Arla frowned, as that was a valuable piece of information.
“Happened to the Lignet just over one of our binary cycles ago. This is our shakedown voyage after the repairs.”
“I see,” Arla replied.
“Now, the freighter has surrendered. I assume it’s full of Confederation goods?” Mance continued. “Do you have enough crew to board it and return it to Confederation space?”
“It is, and we do,” Arla said, slightly confused.
“Then we’ll leave it up to you, but be warned, should you be caught in the system again by a Protectorate ship, it might not go so well for you if it is not the Lignet.”
“Understood, Captain Mance, and my thanks,” Arla graciously replied as the cube winked out.
“I’m confused, ma’am,” the defence coordinator queried. “That did not go as I expected.”
“Nor I, Keela,” Arla admitted. “Get a boarding pod over to the freighter, and secure it, please.”
“Already on the way, ma’am,” Keela replied.
“I suspect Captain Mance is not typical of the Protectorate Fleet upper command,” Arla continued.
“Certainly not like some of the noble ninnies we occasionally run across,” Keela chuckled.
“Technically, that describes me too,” Arla chuckled. “Which is why you’re along to ensure I don’t embarrass the Confederation.”
“A child of the Regent must serve; that is our law,” Keela replied. “Plus, you appear to have a knack for this sort of thing.”
“This time I got lucky, plus we picked up some valuable intel,” Arla nodded.
“About the antimatter?”
“That, and the knowledge that the Protectorate can still see through our cloaking system,” Arla nodded.
“Hmm, true,” Keela acknowledged.
“There’s nothing special about that cruiser I can detect,” Teci added. “If anything, it looks second or third generation compared to the ones we’ve scanned in the past.”
“Captain Mance mentioned repairs; perhaps they got upgraded?” Arla shrugged.
“Possibly,” Keela nodded. “The freighter is secured; we can go now.”
“Best we do; Captain Mance was quite serious about detection by other Protectorate ships.”
“So, we’re just letting them go?” Zaka asked Mance.
“You want me to attack them because they are trespassing?” Mance replied with a slight quirk to his lips.
“Ah...”
“Lieutenant Casz, did the passive scans get any information?” Mance asked.
“Yes, sir, pattern analysis of their cloaking is complete,” Casz replied.
“And there’s your answer, Commander Zaka,” Mance smiled. “We used the incident to get data on a cloaked Confederation ship.”
“Yes, sir, most ingenious of you, and that might just fly at the inevitable inquiry,” Zaka chuckled.
“I suspect it will, though no doubt Admiral Klessi will be less than pleased,” Mance chuckled.
“I suspect that’s his default position over a lot of things, Captain,” Zaka chuckled.
“Orrilion and the freighter are moving away ... and they’re gone, sir,” Casz informed the Captain.
“Good, continue with the look-see,” Mance ordered.
“Yes. Sir,” the bridge crew replied.
Fleet Base Mandil was the home of Third Fleet and was within the detection systems of the Lignet, which was seriously crowded with various Fleet and commercial vessels.
“Report log of our visit to the Nimta system sent, Captain,” Venn informed Mance.
“Let’s see how long it takes to get a summons,” Mance chuckled, making Dant smile.
“Not long, sir,” she finally replied. “I don’t think Klessi likes you much.”
“Can’t think why,” Mance replied straight-faced.
“So, you’ll be out of advanced basic in a binary cycle?” Amantus asked a depressed Mabis.
“Yeah,” Mabis nodded. “I’ve even been told I can request a crew placement here, though I might just try to see what’s available back at Gevase.”
“Miss him that much?” Crendon asked somewhat rhetorically.
“Yeah, things were just starting to get serious.”
“Kind of a risk being at Fleet, I guess,” Amantus nodded sympathetically.
“It is,” Mabis agreed. “Though the Lignet had always been based out of Gevase since Captain Mance was posted here to be forgotten about, according to Collis.”
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