Chapter 3

Edited by Steve

The ongoing fight on the other side of this system A small corvette, escorted by two other corvettes, was attacked by a larger ship. The small ship was not firing, but the corvettes were using their energy weapons.

“Sarha, what kind of weapons are those? How powerful are they?” Tim asked as he looked at the unfolding battle.

“They are pulsed laser beams. They can only be used in space, as the beam would spread too much if used in an atmosphere. The amount of power delivered by the beam is dependent on the target’s proximity and the ship’s power supply. The power of the corvette is less than one-twelfth that of the cruiser.”

The attacking ship remained outside the effective range of the lasers. The attacker used their lasers to disable the smaller ship’s engines and destroy the protective escorts.

The pilot of the small ship did everything in his power to avoid their fire. The escorts did their best, concentrating on the attacker’s flight deck and engines. Occasionally, they scored a few hits but did minimal damage.

Detecting Sarha’s ship, the small ship headed toward it, broadcasting a distress signal.

Seeing the same vessel on its scanner, the attacker stepped up its fire on the small ship in an attempt to stop it before it could reach the new, larger vessel.

The two escorting corvettes proceeded straight toward the attacker. It appeared to Tim that they were hopeful that the small ship would have more time if they could draw the attacker’s fire. The closure also allowed them to intensify their attacks.

It only took the cruiser a few minutes to destroy both corvettes. The attacker then turned its full attention toward the escaping ship.

The ship changed its course to reach Sarha’s vessel more quickly. However, their shields were too weak to stop the attacker’s fire, and their hull and engines were being degraded. Sarha’s long-range scanners continued to monitor the one-sided battle, displaying it on the bridge screen.

A distress call came over the speakers, with Sarha translating the message to English for Tim. The message said they were under pirate attack and were requesting help.

Tim walked to where Sarha was standing and stared at the big screen. He listened to the emergency call. “Sarha, will you see what is going on with those two ships? Two of them were destroyed.

“No, I leave everything as it is. This doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Sarha replied.

“But perhaps the same pirates took the passengers from the ship I was on. Can we be of assistance? Can you contact the pirate ship and request that they stop firing?” Tim asked.

“I can’t do it myself because I have no right to intervene. I am an AI from another time and another galaxy, and I do not have the right to intervene unless instructed,” Sarha said.

“Does this mean you can take action if I order you to?” asked Tim.

“Yes. Since I have granted you temporary authority as acting captain of this ship, do you wish me to open up a communications channel to both ships for you?”

“Yes,” Tim said. “If you can, I need you to scan each ship while I’m talking to them. Tell me how many individuals are on board each vessel, what type each ship is, and their weapons. Also check their shield’s status. I also need to know our options for engaging the pirates.”

“I have opened up a channel to both ships. While you are talking, I will check on the other things you requested!”

Tim spoke to the ships, “This is Colonel Tim Bodge of the Star Gladiator 1; cease firing, lower your shields, and cease maneuvering! Now.”

“This is Regal 1, please! Help us!” Tim could hear the shakiness in the voice and the fear and stress in those few words, and he thought the voice sounded like a female.

“Fuck you. Once we’ve finished, we’ll take your ship and your cargo! It was the reaction of the pirate, who kept firing on the smaller ship.

“Sarha, do you have that information I requested?” Tim asked. The individual who replied must be the captain. Tim became angry with the pirates, who ignored his request to cease firing. He detested individuals who believed they were better than anyone. He sounded like many of the men he had run into while fighting.

“Yes, I have most of the information, and I’m still getting more. The small ship is a transport class belonging to the Kota-Carinae star system. It is approximately .75 kilometers long. Weight: 625,000 tons; shields are light plasma and are at 20 percent. Two warm-blooded beings are aboard who may be part of the royal family. The only weapon is a single, small pulse laser. Their ship has suffered a lot of damage and will not last much longer! Sarha reported.

“The other ship is a Light Cruiser class, and it is about 2.6 km long, 500 meters tall, and about 2.4 wide, and their transponders are off. I scanned it and found ten beings; seven were throughout the ship, and three were inside a dropship. The weapons are eight heavy pulse cannons, ten twin beam cannons, forward-pointing, three-particle beam turrets, right and left, and a top-mounted. Shields are Quantum flux shields at 100% now. The dropship has no weapons; the crew may have pulse rifles.”

“Thank you; what are our weapons?” He begins to develop a plan, hoping that it will work.

“Since we are in battle conditions, I can tell you that. I have two heavy-power pulse particle beams for medium-range, both forward-mounted. They fire approximately one second differently from each other. One high-power rail gun for long-range, one long particle beam cannon for more massive ships, and sixteen beam cannons in a defense grid,” said Sarha.

“Sarha, please raise our shields and ready the heavy power pulse particle beams,” said Tim. He stood next to the screen, watching the distance between the two other vessels close.

The Attacking Corvette:

“Josh, take two others and the dropship and board the Princesses’ ship. There are only two of them, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble. Take control and meet us back at base.”

“Is there anything we can do to stop the sympathetic individuals who want to stop us?”

“That new ship is too far away to stop us. Just get the princesses and head back. Now get going before it’s too late.”

Josh turned, pointed to two crewmembers, and said, “Follow me.” The three of them headed toward the dropship.

“Let me know when they launch. I will keep my attention on the new ship.”

The pilot notified the captain, “They are away on an intercept course.”

“Change of plans; we just scanned the incoming ship, and it is too large for us. We wouldn’t stand a chance. Let’s get out of here.” The captain said.

The Star Gladiator 1:

“Tim, the cruiser has stopped firing and is on a trajectory to leave the system. But the dropship is still heading toward the transport ship.”

“Sarha, is there any way to stop the ship from leaving?”

“Tim, the only way is to destroy it.”

“Can we take out both ships while saving the Regal 1?”

“It is certainly possible to take out both ships while saving the Regal 1, but it will require great skill and planning to complete the mission without putting the Regal 1 in danger. To achieve our goal, we need to have a well thought out plan and the resources necessary to carry it out.”

“And do we have the plan and the weapons?”

“I believe that it would be wise to acquire a firing solution before taking any action.”

“And do you have a firing solution?”

“I do, and I am ready to launch the missiles.”

“Can you launch the missiles?”

“Launching the missiles would require proper authorization and permission, so until such permission is granted, the answer must be no.”

“If I am the captain and say fire, will that be authorization enough?”

“Yes, do you wish me to fire?”

“Regal 1, please maintain the course. The pirate ship has launched a boarding party, and we need a stable course from you before we can engage,” Tim said. He hoped the pilot would last a bit longer.

“We will maintain our course. Please do not miss it. We cannot fight any boarding party. Regal 1, out.”