Chapter 19: Ship of Horrors

The other disguised Freespace operations unit turned out to be a Togar Claw ship. A truly ancient tech level six Togar warship that had the stylized form of a lion’s paw, at least that is how Shaka described it and it was 600 meters long. At first we actually went to battle stations but the Togar female identified herself as Captain Roranak of the NAVINT X Fleet and on the same special communications equipment we had and was exclusive to NAVINT.

We met aboard her ship, officially named Quicha-Too, but it had a secret second Union designation: USS Chimera.

From the outside it truly was a crude, primitive surplus cruiser that had several private owners before it became the Quicha-Too, the ship of a freelancing independent Togar.

On the inside, it was as modern and well equipped Union ship and the Togar gave me a little tour and told me about her mission and challenges while our crews loaded crated Kermac tech, Kermac crew members in stasis and an Olour rock, also in stasis along with boxes of loot and specimen.

I learned that she was doing this now for seven years and had made herself a solid reputation as a freelancing jack of all trades. She wasn’t really known to be a pirate, but her careful crafted personality was known to do any sort of shady deal.

Her main mission was to gather intelligence for NAVINT in Freespace. While her ship was well shielded and armed, she was to avoid open conflict when possible.

She and her crew were delighted about Richter Base and having a regular port of call now. She had orders to tow the T Cruiser and bring what we had collected there for further analysis. She also looked forward to a few months R & R.

I also was informed that a fleet of Takkian civilian ships was already on its way. The news that their religious Chant Slates were true and that there indeed was a mother mountain had traveled fast and already caused an intense religious revival on Takkian and Takian worlds.

NAVINT of course helped to stoke the fire and provided only slightly doctored images, recordings and reports. A civilian Takkian scholar was credited with the discovery.

According to Captain Roranak, who had received a full breifing, the Takkian would settle the moon and Little Hell and then ‘officially discover’ the Clonk and claim the system.

Of course I had also been informed by the Admiral about everything in great detail. It wasn’t the most elegant solution according to the Admiral, but the best available.

After the Chimera was loaded and we had received some additional supplies, we bid them farewell and Krabbel put in a course that would take us Brhama Port.

--””--

I had the crew assemble in our Pirate’s Den and said to them. “Now after our little and unplanned detour we are back on track with our original mission and we are once again pirates to the world. Any ship that crosses our bow is likely prey and we are going to hunt other pirates and criminals.”

I held up a print out and said. “This is a short version of the official report about the attack on the Danny Houston, the civilian passenger liner that was attacked by pirates just before we left the Bazaar and I want to read it to you.

I cleared my throat and began to read out loud.” On February 5th, 5020 the passenger clipper Danny Houston on its way from Seven-Skies to Fairfield Planet was attacked and heavily damaged. The Ship master of the Danny signaled full cooperation with the attackers and asked for mercy for his passengers. He assured the attacker that they were a completely unarmed civilian vessel.

The Danny was boarded by those pirates.

Seventy Passengers were taken captive and every crew member was killed, the ship-master was spaced without suit.

Four female passengers were brutally raped and afterwards killed. The remaining 48 passengers including children and the old not worth much on the slave market were also spaced without suits.

Aboard the Danny Huston were Saresii, Diechsen, Humans, Klack, Purple throat Shiss and two Shail on their way home from a group vacation trip, deep in Union space.

One of the passengers a Stellaris managed to survive in space clinging to the outside of the stripped wreck and he was the one responsible for the images you now see behind me.

The Pirate was identified as Captain Swift of the ship Swift Profit. It was this pirate captain who did the raping himself.

I realize the images are hard to stomach and quite graphic but I wanted you to see them and get the same angry feeling I got in my stomach watching these, the same feeling I got fighting that scum at Outpost 96. I wanted you to see why we are out here. Now some of us didn’t have a proper vacation or might resent the fact that we can’t go to port on regular intervals, but those passengers won’t come home at all. So I ask you are you with me?”

The entire crew bellowed in once voice.” Yes, we are.”

--””--

I had finished the daily log book entry and had my feet up and looked outside my view port into the darkness of space. It was late and the First Watch was about to leave the bridge to be relieved by the Officers and crew members of the Middle Watch. I could hear the fourth Bell that signaled the last 30 minutes of First Watch that went from 2000 hrs to 0000 hrs. I glanced at the roster read out I always kept open on one of my screens and it would be the first watch with Sobody being the Officer of the Deck and having the Conn. Although he was not an Academy Graduate or had all that much Union Fleet experience, he was conscripted.

He was not inexperienced when it came to make command decisions. He had led an entire civilization for 12,000 years and traveled aboard star ships for at least as long. Besides he turned out to be an asset and reliable and I made the decision to field promote him to Ensign and to put him on the rotation roster for Bridge watches.

We were still 72 hours away from our next destination, Brhama Port. Space was vast and to meet another ship outside planetary systems was very rare even on very busy traffic routes. Our sensors had not detected anything for the last two days. We could not use the full range of our active sensors because, active sensors could be detected and no Kartanian would have the sensor range of a modern Union ship, but we had excellent passive sensors and we could use them to the very limit, and still there was no contact.

“SHIP give me a Bridge visual.”

Normally I would not spy on my officers and crew, but I wanted to see how Sobody came on and how he handled himself.

A field screen established itself before me and SHIP said.”I am curious too, as how he will do.”

“I still find it amazing to hear a Computronic use words like curious and have an intuition knowing why I wanted to watch. I wonder if we should have more sentient Computronics.”

SHIP responded.”As much as I am thankful to you, don’t think it would be a very good idea. If personalities can choose to be good and then they also have the choice to do bad, and what damage could a SHIP AI do if it be malicious.”

I agreed and said.”Thinking it over it wouldn’t be fair to the AI’s anyway as they had no choice but become Ship AI’s and serve. Not much of a choice.”

While I watched the First Watch go through the final motions of their shift.

SHIP said. “I would have made that decision even if I had other choices. I am very content to be your AI.”

“I still think about a way to treat you more fairly. You are on duty all the time, no free time, no leisure time and all that.”

“I am not human, Captain. I am sentient but I perceive things differently. I am made to function around the clock. I don’t require sleep and I can think and act on many levels simultaneous. Thanks to you making me a crew member, I can dedicate a section of my unused back up resources to spend time on my hobbies, when there is not much going on. I am also very intelligent and speak and understand all languages of the Union and many more and yet I can’t find the appropriate words to express how you make me feel having such thoughts about me.”

“We could use the Avatar technology or maybe a robot or something so you have some of freedom other beings enjoy.”

“You would allow that?”

“I am recommending it.”

“You are the best captain an AI can have.”

I smiled at that and said something similar in return and then watched the Golden and his nine duty officers come on the bridge. I actually laughed as I saw the little Holdian walking briskly behind the Golden.

SHIP said. “Those two are almost inseparable, as you can see the Holdian specialist is the Duty Engineer of that watch.”

The transfer went smoothly and I noticed that the Golden did everything by the book. Even more so than most, and his transfer could have been recorded as educational visual.

He sat down on at the Conn and was calling in the standard reports of all departments. My supervision was not needed and since I had changed my own schedule to Morning watch in order to be on the bridge when we reached Brhama port, it would have been a wise decision to go to bed.

I was just about to turn off the field screen when SHIP said.

“Ops just reported a contact on the scanner horizon correction, there are two contacts now, and weapon energies are exchanged.”

My ready room was right behind the bridge and it took me no time to reach it. Just as I entered Sobody called me over Intra Ship.

As always two marines guarded the bridge access door and announced me. “Captain on the bridge.”

Sobody vacated the seat and I said to him while I sat down.”Sorry to cut your first watch short, but I think you did fine and you are on the permanent watch roster now.”

He bowed slightly and said. “Two contacts, Captain and right in our path. Looks like pirate action I put myself on ship-wide and said. “Ship, sound Battle stations, senior officers to the bridge.”

The light on the bridge changed from bright to red and it took seconds for my team to reach their stations.

Narth of course was first as he simply appeared and took his seat behind ops and it took him seconds to give me the first analysis.

“Contact one emits energies consistent with a Bolgar class armed trader and contact two energy signature is Kartanian and on file.

It belongs to a know pirate ship called the Mighty Nine. Identity of pirate commander unknown but the ship and associated energy signature are on the Union wanted list for acts of piracy.

Ship reported all stations signaled stations manned. I acknowledged and said. “Shaka get us within one light minute. Mao raise shields and arm weapons.”

Shea had immediately begun to run more detailed scanner analysis and coordinated with Hans who accessed Union Intel reports. She said.

“The Bolgar Class is registered to a small Union Company that does trading business with several Freespace civilizations mostly buying artifacts and selling legal civilian goods. The company is suspected to also deal with the Togar, according to an Intel report.”

Mao reported. “The Mighty Nine is well armed with Kartanian Ship to ship missiles and Faster Than Light Directed Energy cannons, but nothing bigger than 1 Giga joule per second. The Bolgar has three FTL DE turrets but only one in the GJ class. Both ships have standard shields. The Bolgar’s aft shields are buckling.”

Elfi followed right after Mao saying. “Captain we are being hailed, by the Mighty Nine.”

Har Hi pulled his folded helmet out of his collar and it became rigid as soon as it was completely out and covered his face to the chin with a yellow tinted face plate and handed me my mask.

“I assume we going to talk first right?”

I laced the mask tight and gave him a scolding look. “We always talk first. Elfi open the channel as soon as Narth verifies the bridge image matches our ships disguise.”

She responded. “You’re on Captain. Bridge image confirmed.”

A shaggy looking creature appeared on our screen. It had an elongated somehow bean shaped head with four pointed ears and a drop shaped nose that extended over the most of the upper half of the head. It had four eyes and a small rigid mouth. The head and much of the exposed upper torso was covered in finger long unkempt looking, orange hued fur.

Narth informed me telepathically. “This is a Volting and they are members of the Galactic Council, but I can sense him pretty easily and he is as wanted there as he is wanted by the Union.”

He squealed in a hoarse voice. “Who are you and what is your business here, interrupting my business?”

I said to him. “My business is interrupting yours. So lower your shields and deactivate your weapons and we will make it fast and quick. We leave with your valuables and you leave with your life. I assure you, you won’t like the alternative.”

Even though it was the first time I saw a Volting, I could tell he did not expect that and he said. “Don’t mess with me, Female. I am of the Sinister Alliance and have many friends.”

He couldn’t know that this was the wrong thing to say to me and I responded. “Well your friends aren’t here, but I am.”

Elfi signaled me that the other ship was hailing us now as well and I had her put them on simultaneous. The screen split and a human captain became visible. He wore a corporate uniform in bright reds and blues and I found it a tad too colorful. He had dark hair and bushy eye brows that almost united above his wide nose. “I am willing to offer you 25,000 Polo coins if you help me escape this gangster who dared to fire upon us. I am a peaceful trader and have little of value aboard.”

Narth mental connection transferred an emotion I had never thought possible with him, it was disgust as he said inside my head. “Eric, he has the most horrid freight one could imagine. I seen his mental images and it is awful and most vile.”

I wondered what Narth had seen and said to the human. “I make you the same offer as I made to your Volting playmate. Surrender, lower your shields and prepare to be boarded and you might walk away from this.”

To Mao I said. “Open gun ports and incapacitate them, Shaka show them what a real Helmsman can do.”

I moved my seat in battle mode and our disguised ship went like a Rock shark between them, our Froth Casters that were part of our disguise were quite functional and those Nul graviton pulse weapons were perhaps not at par with the most advanced Union weapons but still enormous powerful and especially damaging to shields. The simulated weapons of our Silver Streak disguise also masked our QNP cannon fire, as it was virtually undetectable. It was a thrill ride I could equate to nothing else. Shaka was more than just good; we would have won the battle even without our hidden weaponry. It was as if Shaka could predict when the other ships were firing and corrected the course with the speed of thought and evaded both ships barrage with apparent ease, while he never exceeded speeds that a Kartanian could not obtain. I was fairly certain however that no Kartanian ship had such precise helm control systems reacting in Nano-second delay to Shaka’s control commands.

The stars danced around me in a wild erratic manner, whenever Shaka changed course.

Mao who trained with Shaka and knew his friends style adapted his gunnery to the flight pattern and none of his shots missed.

Our ship shuddered ever so slightly as all our turrets pointed to one side and gave the Mighty Nine a broadside.

I heard Mao say. “Shaka, I am giving the Bolgar the same medicine, prepare to compensate for weapon recoil.”

Shaka responded.”I am using that drift into Fire lee on purpose, no sense of wasting perfectly good kinetic energy.”

I had to laugh. My friends had fun, enjoyed themselves doing what they did best.

Har Hi said. “Captain both ships rendered inoperable and their shields are down.”

It took a second to get my seat out of Battle view and I said. “Mao, pound them with Tech Stop and Paralysator rays. Har Hi and Hans you take the Mighty Nine. TheOther you are with me, we going to visit the Bolgar. Hans I need 25 Marines and two Fenris stat.”

Har-Hi shook his head as we both rushed to the IST. “There is no sense stopping you, or is there?”

Everything in me urged me to rush on and board that ship but I made Har Hi my XO and he had a point. I stopped and sighed. “You are right. I will remain aboard.”

He laughed already at the door. “Just kidding Captain, I wanted to be at the door first. Stopping you to get into the thick of the fray would be cruel.”

I actually cursed him and said.” Shea you got the Conn.”

Running behind him I yelled.”What a fine friend I got!”

I almost caught up with him at the Battle dresser at the deployment deck as he said. “You don’t know how much I respect you for actually heeding my objection, Captain.”

He launched himself into space, his boot thrusters glowing bright white before he even made it past the force field curtain and he said via Command Channel. “Whoever calls Object secure first wins.”

“What’s the wager?”

“If I win we keep the Pool temperature at a cozy 38 and if you win, I prance around in High Heel boots for an entire hour.”

“I thought you hate swimming?”

“I am getting used to it as it seems you completely lost your fear of space.”

“I didn’t lose it, I simply don’t find the time lately to feel it.”

“I am getting swimming lessons from Elfi and I tell you, jumping in a pool that has only 4 degrees water is anything but fun. Only afterwards I was told that the temperature is kept at these freezing temperatures because my Captain took a swim an hour before.”

“You better get an appointment with Cateria then, because walking in these Heels isn’t as easy as it looks.”

“You forget I have Hans with me and I am already halfway there.”

Once again I flew through deep space towards a hostile ship, accompanied by Elite Marines and two Fenris robots.

Har-Hi and I had stopped our banter as we now concentrated on the job at hand. Right next to me was TheOther who looked truly frightening in his modified Gilgamesh suit. The suits had been camouflaged so they did not look like Union products; their adaptie camouflage took on the non reflective black of space.We did not use the suits cloaking cababilities.

TheOther was the first reaching the Bolgar class ship.

Bolgar was not a species but an old Union Company that manufactured civilian space craft for about two hundred years but went out of business. Still there were many Bolgar ships out there and they had a reputation for being solid and reliable. The ship was about 450 meters long and had the simple shape of a dull cone with a base radius of 180 meters. Six ISAH pods attached to its aft.

The Gilgamesh augmented the titanic strength of the Y’All to an almost unimaginable level. It became evident as he didn’t use any tools to rip the strong airlock door out of its socket.

My suit Computronic reported Communication activity from within the Bolgar and reported that there were still functional energy sources and energy shields within the ship. Apparently our Tech Stop rays didn’t do the trick. Tech Stop was very effective against unshielded electronic equipment, but completely ineffective against shields. It was not completely unexpected as many ships, especially of Union origin had internal shields to protect key components and areas. This of course would also mean the Paralysator rays did not incapacitate everyone aboard.

I tuned in to the communications and heard screams of panic. Someone in that ship screamed into his audio sensor.”Y’All! We are attacked by the Y’All!”

I went in, arm cannons ready with two Marines at my flank while the rest breached the ship in small teams on different spots as per my orders.

It wasn’t much of a fight, but I learned why the Y’All where such a terrible enemy. TheOther was a whirlwind of doom and he marched unstoppable creating a corridor of destruction, He held two TKU mini cannons, usually fielded by the large Union Army battle walkers, in his left arm pair and a brand new QGP-rifle, of which we had twenty prototypes in our armory, in his lower right hand. A weird looking boarding sword of enormous proportions in his upper right, cut down brave members of the ship’s crew who dared to put up resistance.

Force field curtains collapsed as he simply marched into them, the aggressive ParaDim shields of his suit interrupting their field cohesion and every other obstacle he cut, ripped and stomped into twisted metal.

I reached the ships bridge without firing a single shot, one of the marines at my side turned out to be Pure and while he very rarely talked he was compelled to express his amazement.”Beasts of Tarnak, can you imagine an army of these?”

The other marine, a Petharian giant also with two arm pairs was less impressed. “I seen Perthanian platoons in action, there isn’t all that much difference I would imagine and yet an entire army of us was defeated in the Battle of Gabthrt in 4319 by a Union Marines Battalion led by Admiral Stahl.”

I elbowed him in the side as I stepped on the ship’s bridge.”There isn’t much that impresses you Perthanians, now isn’t there Lt. Hrrtew?”

“Oh there is, Captain there is.Aformentioned Admiral Stahl of course and you should see what happens if our Security Chief really lets loose.”

While I wondered what it would look like if Hans fought not holding back, I looked around the bridge of the Bolgar. It was a standard Union layout like it was done half a century ago, with all the duty stations behind a bridge dividing chest high barrier and only the helmsman having his station before that barrier and behind armored viewports. It was all well maintained from the looks of it, there was even a civilian GalNet Terminal. The bridge crew was hiding behind the barrier. I counted six humans and two Togar. Narth popped out of thin air next to me into existence, of course in his Alvor’s Cove dust and sand mantle disguise and held out his hand.

The Captain of the ship started floating.

Narth explained to me. “He was about to destroy his cargo, I could not let this happen, before you all seen what he is shipping to Togar markets.”

Even though Narth had yet to say what he found out, I got a stomach turning suspicion as I knew what the Togar liked to buy. Narth nodded. “Yes Captain, your notion is quite correct.”

Har-Hi came on and said.”Pirate ship secure, we won.”

I said to Har-Hi while I approached the ship’s master.”You won. Strip the ship of valuables, secure anyone alive in Stasis boxes and report back to me.”

The Ship’s master came floating towards me and he looked back between Narth and TheOther obviously not sure who he had to fear more.

He said to me. “Are you Black Velvet, the Pirate?”

His helmet peeled away from his face like the skin of a fruit. The tough material of his armor ripped like tissue paper and Narth answered for me. “You are in the presence of Captain Black Velvet and it is not I you need to fear and not the Y’All, but her.”

I asked.”What is your cargo?”

His eyes shifted and his mouth became a thin line. “Nothing you pirates would be interested in.”

One of my marines came onto the bridge; even through the face plate of his helmet I saw his pale white face and an expression of shock.

“Captain, the vessel is secure, but you better not go inside the vessel’s main cargo hold, it is the most horrible thing I ever seen.”

What was the freight that shocked an elite Marine and a Narth?

I said to TheOther. “Hold him and make sure they don’t touch anything. Have Circuit come over and disable any self destruct mechanisms.”