Chapter 77: A Trap is Sprung

Twelve hours later Terrence walked onto the bridge at the same time I did. I had made sure his planned route would not expose us to any ships orbiting either of the two planets and then accepted Ensign Daniels plea that I get some sleep.

Everyone on the ship was tense. The conversations in the galley centered around nightmares and fear. I had spent three hours there just talking to the crew and trying to reassure them that everything was under control. There was definite doubt in the eyes of a few, but the majority left the galley with fire in their eyes after speaking with me.

“How are things?” I asked Ensign Munfree.

Chaz spun around. “What?” she asked. She sounded stressed and worried.

There were visible bags under Ensign Munfree’s eyes. “Ensign, get out of here and get some sleep. If you are having nightmares, have Private Morrison put you in a medical pod for three hours. You are dead on your feet.”

“But,” she protested.

“That was an order, not a suggestion.” I said firmly. “Now go.”

Ensign Munfree stood up and started to walk up the steps to the bridge door. Just as she passed my command chair she stumbled. I caught her and noticed she was passing out.

“When did you last eat?” I asked in a hiss.

“I don’t ... I don’t,” she mumbled.

I held her in my right arm. With my left hand I reached across my chair to activate the intercom. “Medical to the bridge!” I called out.

“What?” Terrence asked.

“She probably hasn’t eaten or slept for a day,” I said. “She just passed out. We need to get her in a pod so she can recover.”

The overhead speakers crackled. “Captain, I heard no explosion,” Ensign Daniels voice called out.

“Ensign Munfree wasn’t getting a proper amount of rest,” I replied. “She just passed out. I’m calling so we can get her into a medical pod for a few hours.”

“Damn,” Ensign Daniels called out. “Are there any other issues?”

“No, but it might mean that you, Kels and I have to pull slightly longer shifts. I want Ensign Munfree down for at least twelve hours. This is why I kept trying to rotate everyone,” I said firmly.

Ensign White’s voice broke in. “I can come up if you need me to,” she said.

“I don’t,” I began to say. Just then the screen I used to track the sensor readings started flashing. “Wait. It looks like we might have a customer.”

“What?” Kelsey asked.

I released the intercom control and started trying to adjust the display with just one hand. It was awkward, but I was able to zoom in on the movement that had attracted the sensors.

“It looks like we have a single Sa’arm scout patrolling the edge of the belt,” I said. Just then the sensors showed the Sa’arm ship opening fire on a couple of asteroids that were tumbling on the inner edge of the belt. “And it’s trying to clear out some of the asteroids.”

“Why?” Ensign Daniels asked.

“I’m guessing that one of the two planets has been colonized by the Sa’arm. They must be acting to ensure that no asteroid can become a threat in the future,” I said. “But it gives us an opportunity.”

“Opportunity?” Ensign Daniels asked.

“We’re still close enough to that high-energy cluster that there is no way for the Sa’arm to easily detect us. If we use some patience, we just might be able to get a clean kill without them alerting the planet,” I said.

“You’re talking about a rail gun snap shot?” Kelsey asked. “We hide until the last minute, pop up and then shoot? But we’d have to get the ship to turn at exactly the right moment so their engines become a sensor barrier.”

“And if you hit the right asteroid with the incendiary missile you had loaded by missile team four?” I asked.

“If it was in the right spot, the energy spike would attract attention. A Sa’arm ship might turn to...” Kelsey said. “Oh ... my ... god!”

“What?” Ensign Daniels asked.

“Captain, I’m heading to the bridge,” Kelsey called out. “I need all rail gun crew as well as missiles one, three and four to be up in fifteen minutes. Have the helmsman find a spot behind the patrolling Sa’arm ship, but still in the field. And see if you can use the passive sensors to find an asteroid that has a decent magnesium deposit on the surface.”

“Doesn’t it need oxygen to burn?” I asked.

“The incendiary missile will still cause a rather spectacular explosion when it hits. And I’m guessing that we’ll need that to get the attention of the Sa’arm. Remember this only works if they are looking the wrong direction when we pop out,” Kelsey said.

“Won’t they still warn the rest of the Sa’arm?” Terrence asked me.

“Probably, but we’ll destroy one ship and then get a count on how many more are around. That is what we need if we are going to push them back,” I said.

“What about pushing them off the planets?” Terrence asked.

“I have no idea what it would take to do that,” I replied.

“Wait, you admit not knowing something?” Terrence asked.

“Read books on Zen philosophy. Many of them note that understanding just what it is that you do not know is a major source of wisdom. It’s when you don’t know what you don’t know that things can turn around and bite you in the butt,” I said. “So while Ensign White rushes here, can we get into the position she suggested?”

“I can if the Sa’arm hold to their current acceleration and vector,” Terrence replied. “But, the window for this ambush will last only thirty seconds. At that point we’d have no way to avoid being seen.”

“Get us to the location you found,” I said. “But stay out of sight. I’ll get a drone out above the plane of the belt. Hopefully the Sa’arm don’t notice it.”

“Use a ceramic one,” Ensign White said from behind me. “And why are you holding Chaz up.”

“She’s out cold. I’m waiting for someone to come and take her to a medical pod,” I said.

“I can,” Chaz mumbled. “I could see her eyelids flutter as she tried to stand back up. She had no strength in her arms and quickly slumped back down.”

“I’m here,” Blaine said.

“You’re naked!” Kelsey shouted.

“Blaine, get Ensign Munfree here to a medical pod. And then get back into your uniform. I know you probably hate wearing it, but if we were hulled right now, you’re dead,” I said.

“The uniform can’t protect that much,” Blaine insisted.

“Standard uniforms protect against decompression,” the AI announced. “They hold enough air for three hours of powerless use. While they have power they can recycle the air for up to twenty hours.”

“How?” Ensign White asked.

“They must have some means of taking carbon dioxide and converting it back into oxygen and carbon. There must be a tank for holding the carbon. I expect that after an extended use, that tank is like a printer toner cartridge,” I said.

“Black powder,” Terrence said. “Yeah, that would be nasty.”

Blaine stepped up and knelt down. I could see his bare shoulders and turned away. He put one arm under Chaz’s right arm. “I can lift her. You need to let go.”

I slowly released my grip on her. Blaine stood up. His other arm had reached around to grab behind Chaz’s knee. She seemed tiny in his arms as he turned and walked back to the bridge entrance.

“She’ll go in the bow pod,” Blaine said.

I realized I was looking at Blaine’s naked ass and turned back to look at my displays. Ensign White was watching the man with ill-concealed distrust.

“How much time between the missile launch and our attack?” I asked her.

Kelsey looked at me. She blinked in surprise and then gasped. “Oh! Sorry!” The young woman spun around to look at her displays.

“Can you get me the Sa’arm ship’s current position and vector?” Kelsey asked.

“I’ve got it,” Terrence said. “The navigational systems supply me with the position of any celestial body.”

“If you don’t know it’s there, you just might run into it,” I pointed out. “I’ll get the drone launched.”

I launched the drone and then started reviewing the data from the sensor missile we had sent towards the system core more than twelve hours before. This time the data was considerably refined, and I could see signs that the Sa’arm had taken over a large section of the southern hemisphere of the innermost of the habitable planets.

“Terrence,” I said. “Plan to head up and over the belt right after we fire,” I said.

“Over? Last time we went under,” he replied in surprise.

The feed from the sensor missile suddenly cut off. I called up the sensor drone data.

“What’s happening?” Kelsey asked.

“I think they found our sensor missile,” I said. “The feed cut off. If they found it, the ship here might now be looking for us.”

“But,” Kelsey complained. “I’m not ready.”

“No time,” I said as I hit the button to activate the call to battle stations.