Chapter 9: The Auditorium Part 1

“There is no doubt that even in space that the art of misleading and bewildering your foe can lead to establishing the perfect ambush. When caught in such a move, it is best to remain calm and have an exit strategy. It is the only means to get out of your enemy’s grasp before it strangles you completely,” Shira, 2346 AD.

“Confirmed,” Zhao announced, looking at his console. “Hard to aft, almost 170 degrees in the opposite direction.”

“Cut engines and stop accelerating,” she ordered.

Zhao followed her instructions as the blue flames of the rear engine module cut out. The ship remained coasting forward with its forward momentum. The g-forces in the interior of the Jian Seng ceased. The tension gathered instantly in the bridge. The inevitable was upon them that had Shira’s brow give a suspicious look at the screen. She crossed her arms as her ears were tuned to the crew’s banter.

“Lynch?” The Captain asked him. She remained composed but concerned.

“Yes ... it is a distress call. Valdivia has picked it up too. They are sending a message to all ships to respond. Coordinating with telemetry data. I am sending it to your console, Captain.”

With that, Lifen was looking down at her console. She was analyzing the data as the viewscreen began to pan in the direction of the distress call. The massive wall of asteroids became a flat surface of obstructions in space as the camera panned over to the front of the asteroid field. The great remains of Picaro could be seen in all her former glory. Even with the massive amount of asteroids, the great ripped sphere was there. Unfortunately, the camera could not spot where the distress call was located yet, but it was trying. Shira began to tap a couple of buttons on her console. The knowledge and research she made allowed her to access the controls perfectly. She started to key in new instructions to help zero in on the disturbance.

“Alright,” Lifen said. “The distress call is coming from the Chacal Naranja, a JX-15 Freighter. It is a ship emergency broadcast signal. There is no audio recording. The signal has become lost as well, and Valdivia is attempting to lock on to where it was at.”

“Ensign Lynch,” Shira called out to him. “I am picking up a faint Z70 frequency. Can you narrow it down on Quadrant Gamma 3C?”

“I am working on it,” he replied to her as he tapped a couple of buttons. “Confirmed. The frequency is coming from a UWA vessel, but the signal has cut out.”

“According to the Valdivia,” Lifen explained. “The Chacal Naranja was meant to rendezvous with another mining ship in the area. The UHN Protectora is going to make a jump to that area. Its expected arrival is within thirty-five minutes.”

“Any other ships?” Shira asked.

“Fort Redentor is currently processing other jumps but has picked up the distress call as well,” Lynch explained. “The UHN Chile is expected to be here within forty minutes. All UHN ships are expected to respond to the event. UWA vessels and civilian ships are asked to maintain a distance but remain on standby.”

The tension in the room was steady but not high, either. Shira was watching the screen of her console and keeping careful note of everything that was happening. All of it made absolute sense. With little data available yet, it was not confirmed what the cause of the distress call was. It could have been anything that created it and no explanation of what had happened.

“I found it,” Shira said as she was helping out Lynch from her position. “Located in Quadrant Gamma 3C. Lynch, zero in on the area. The Chacal Naranja is there.”

“Working on it,” Lynch said. “I see it.”

The camera began to pan slightly towards an area that was close to the debris field. The remains of an elongated gray and red ship began to appear as the camera zoomed in on it. The Chacal Naranja was a typical old freighter design. The mid and rear section of the vessel was essentially a large hauler. The midsection of the ship consisted of the hull with a large bridge section mounted on top. On the bottom were multiple latches for holding shuttles. The port and starboard sides consisted of forward-mounted thrusters. Near the aft section of the ship consisted of rotating centripetal bars that remained motionless. The rear consisted of the power module and thrusters. The bow section consisted of seven red cargo containers. Compared to the floating asteroids, it was easy to tell what was manmade and what natural phenomenon was.

The damage on the freighter was apparent. The sides of the ship were riddled with holes. Blast marks also lined the mid structure. One of the red cargo containers was torn off by the apparent impacts that it took. The ship was idle but adrift. Red emergency warning lights were flashing from the hull. There were other signs of wreckage floating around the vicinity of the vessel.

“That isn’t asteroid impacts,” Manthan said.

“The ship was attacked,” Lifen said. She paused for a moment. She gave a large sigh. “How far is it from our location?”

“We are still coasting from our momentum,” Lynch informed her. “We are the closest ship to the Chacal Naranja. If we turn around now and head to them and engage maximum accelerated cruising speeds, we should reach it in twelve minutes.”

“Zhao ... do a full u-turn with the Jian Seng,” Lifen ordered. “We are going to get there as fast as we can. Once you complete the turn, begin rapid acceleration to the freighter.”

“Hmmm...” Shira commented to herself. She decided to say nothing else.

“Aye ... Aye, Captain,” Zhao replied.

“Is that wise?” Lynch asked her.

“Pirates have attacked the Chacal Naranja,” Lifen answered back. “We have our jobs to do. All UHN vessels must respond immediately. The longer we wait, the more likely the crew of that ship is in danger. Shira ... do you know enough on the weapons systems of this ship that you can man that console?”

“Yes, I can,” Shira replied.

“Very well, twelve minutes is going to be rough to get to there, but we can at least tell the crew to get ready.”

Zhao began to grab the flight yoke of his console. He started to gently pull it down as the bottom-mounted ventral thrusters activated. The Jian Seng was doing a slow but hard 180-degree turn while it was maintaining its forward momentum. The ground got heavy as the g-forces pulled down on everyone. The viewscreen showed the left side of the asteroid belt as the camera tried to remain fixated on the beleaguered freighter. Another camera automatically switched over to continue tracking the ship. Within less than fifteen seconds, the entire vessel was now moving backward and looking upside down toward Picaro. The g-forces ceased as the rear thrusters began to activate. New G-forces came forth as everyone’s backs were pressed to their chairs. It would take a minute for the ship to eventually come to a stop and start moving forward. The reality of space travel was that it took time for vessels to hit the brakes and start moving forward.

The captain had little time but was doing her best to get her microphone down to her mouth. She was preparing to call everyone on the ship. She looked over to Lynch.

“Lynch,” Lifen said. “Inform Valdivia that we are enroute to investigate the Chacal Naranja distress call. Tell them that we have spotted the wreckage of the freighter. Estimated arrival is within twelve minutes.”

“Roger, Captain,” Lynch said.

“Captain, I would not recommend...” Shira tried to tell her, but her voice was cut off.

“Not now, Shira,” Lifen politely interrupted her. “I need to address the ship.”

Shira lifted up her snout slightly. She was not offended, but she tilted her head so her one eye could be focused on her. She instead tried to focus on the sensor screen from her console, knowing that Lynch was busy sending a communication signal to the base. Lifen pressed a couple of buttons to activate the overhead comms to address the whole ship.

“Attention everyone on the Jian Seng,” Lifen explained from her microphone. “This is your Captain. We have just received a distress call from a nearby freighter. Signs indicate that they might have been attacked. Emergency procedures require all UHN vessels to respond. Continue to expect constant hard acceleration as we will be pushing the engines to max cruising speed. Due to the emergency declaration, I have to announce General Quarters. All personnel are to man their stations. This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not a drill. Expect possible combat and unannounced emergency maneuvers. I expect everyone that doesn’t have an assignment to strap themselves in and know when to brace for rapid turns. Corpsmen are to be made ready for possible casualties. We will rendezvous with the ship in approximately eleven minutes. Prepare for boarding or whatever else may come our way. I trust everyone’s abilities and skills ... Lifen out...”

The captain ended her communication signal. The centripetal ring began to slow down on its rotation as vectoring thrusters on its sides started to activate. Due to the 180 degree turn, the Jian Seng was looking at the Chacal Naranja upside down now. Regardless, space didn’t care what direction you moved and how you got to your destination. Red warning lights began to appear on the side corners of the room to indicate that the ship had gone to General Quarters.

“Communication is sent to the Valdivia,” Lynch told the Captain.”

“Manthan, what is the status of all our weapons?”

“Everything is fully functional,” Manthan answered.

“Shira, arm all weapons.”

“Weapons are armed, Captain,” Shira addressed her after she tapped two of the buttons on the console. “However, I would not recommend approaching the Chacal Naranja.”

“Petty Officer Shira,” Lifen told her. “We’re responding to an emergency situation. This isn’t the time to argue about this.”

“I am well of that,” she calmly replied. “The location of the freighter is closer to the debris field. We are clearly out of Valdivia’s missile range if we need cover fire, and we will be in a more likely environment for an ambush.”

“This is a place of pirates,” Lynch tried to argue back. “The Nova Hamidou Pirates couldn’t even take this ship down. Most likely, they sacked the Chacal Naranja and fled with what they could grab.”

“I am not so convinced of that. I have been analyzing the damage to the freighter. The scorch marks and clear penetration shots that dot its frame are reminiscent of railgun fire.”

“Pirates don’t really have access to those weapons.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Yes, we do. I might not be affluent with the Pirates, but I do know that their equipment is lacking. They’re using mostly old tech. Even their gunships are little more than old shuttles modified with basic weapons.”

“The data on your screen would easily counter that argument,” Shira replied.

Lifen seemed to think about it for a little bit. “Are you saying these pirates have more updated equipment?”

“It is possible, Captain. We are heading into a hazardous environment that is greater than you realize. The pirates in the recent year have been getting access to T’rintar clan equipment. While it is still old technology, as Lynch has stated, they could have greater access to other forms of weapons.”

“Could it ... could it be the Black Fang?” Lynch wondered.

“What?” Lifen questioned.

“The Black Fang is the most powerful warship in the hands of the Nova Pirates,” Shira explained. “It is actually the UHN Shangdong, an old UHN Liaoning patrol cruiser that disappeared in the asteroid field thirty years ago. In 2332, the ship reappeared with the markings of the pirates. Indeed that ship does carry a railgun turret capable of doing the potential damage on the freighter.”

“Do you think it might be that ship that attacked the Chacal Naranja?”

“I do not have enough information to validate that. The last appearance from that ship was over six years ago, and that was in the Oracip debris field. The last known location in this region of the asteroid belt was in 2332.”

“It is probably broken down by now,” Lynch said as he thought more about it. “As I recall, the Liaoning patrol cruisers were retired twenty years ago.”

“Correct. They were replaced by the Daring class that is in service now.”

“Do you know how old the distress call is?” Lifen asked both Lynch and Shira.

“Umm...” Lynch answered. “The distress call was one pulse, and that was picked up ten minutes ago. Unfortunately, we don’t know the age.”

“Are there any signs that the distress calls are being jammed?”

“That is a possibility,” Shira added.

Lynch was busy looking at his console. He began to attune the frequency around. He was looking for any irregularities. “I am detecting something faint ... I thought it might have been just interference from the asteroids, but it is something that might be blocking the transmissions from reaching beyond the ship.”

“This only adds to the possibility that this is an attempt to lure us,” Shira continued. “The technology to jam the transmissions would require something powerful to do it.”

“Why would the pirates do that?” Lynch questioned as the Captain was thinking about it. “Even if that was somehow the Black Fang, we got weapons on this ship. We can fight back ... right?”

Lifen was looking at the screen. The hairs seemed to rise on the back of her neck. Even the more daring of captains would understand that something was happening. She continued to look at the viewscreen. The asteroid field continued to move like a conveyor belt as the Jian Seng was gaining more and more speed. Picaro was slowly starting to get bigger. Even the present course was beginning to bring it slightly closer and closer to the array of asteroids. The Chacal Naranja continued to remain still. The warning lights from it continued to flicker.

“What is the hell is going on?” Lifen asked out loud. “Anything on sensors besides the Chacal Naranja?”

“I’m just getting rocks,” Lynch said.

“I can confirm that,” Shira added. “However, it is possible to easily hide behind something that can block our sensors.”

“Hail the freighter,” Lifen ordered.

Lynch moved his hand over his microphone. He repeated a couple of words as the button on his console was firmly pressed. He shook his head.

“No response,” Lynch answered.

“Are our transmissions being blocked from reaching them?” Lifen wondered.

“The transmissions are reaching it, but I am getting no sign of activity.”

“I am observing any signs of changes in the warning lights,” Shira added. “If the ship was being jammed, then they can at least use the lights to transmit a message through that. What you humans call ‘Morse code.’ I do not see any signs of it.”

“The UHN Chile and UHN Protectora are coming...” Lifen said to everyone. “We have strength in numbers against whatever is there ... I am sure that we are fine. We don’t have a choice. We must go and help the crew that is onboard that freighter. Regardless of what is there. Most likely, these are just pirates that are trying to scare us in some way.”

Shira could see that the captain was in partial doubt. She wasn’t going to budge on this situation, however. She had to project that outward to the crew, but Shira knew better. She knew that a trap was coming, and it was about to be dropped on the Jian Seng.

Lynch seemed to be on edge a little bit as his eyes were glued to his console screen. For a brief moment, there was something that popped up on his screen and then disappeared.

“I ... thought I picked up something...” Lynch said.

“I spotted it as well,” Shira said. “It was coming from near the Chacal Naranja. Lynch, I recommend tuning your scan frequency to low and high band Z4 mode. It will help track for cloaked battleships.”

“Shit, you are right...” He paused as he began to turn a couple of knobs on his console. He waited a little bit.

“Could it be a cloaked warship?” Lifen asked Shira.

“It is possible, but a cloaked ship is highly unlikely,” she explained to her. “It is only a possibility. The problem is that they are hard to manufacture. They are expensive to produce and mostly used in surveillance missions. They lack the heavy armor of other battleships, but they would have the power to jam transmissions if they wanted to. Even so, the power demands on the cloaking field are so high that it would be impossible to do both. I would also say that using a cloaked battleship in a debris field this dense also poses additional problems. I would also not believe that anybody would part with a cloaked battleship so freely unless there was a clear defining reason to do it. Regardless, it is best to attune the sensors to try to track one if possible.”

“What if it was a cloaked warship?” Manthan asked.

“It would most likely be an Aksren or Shal’rein warship. We would be looking for other distinctive signs as well. An Aksren clan Ryi class, for example, does carry a single light railgun turret and a sensor dome tower that can be deployed while the ship is cloaked. Shal’rein clan cloaked battleships all utilize light railgun turrets. Lynch, when you look for anything that might give off a signal on your screen, you will look for a purple-colored sensor array. It is raised when the Shal’rein warships cloak. It will look like a fin out of the vessel’s cloaked disturbance wake.”

“Like a shark fin poking out of the water...,” Lynch remarked. “I saw old Earth movies in the past ... never thought about that...”

“Your knowledge on all of this is incredible,” Lifen applauded Shira.

“I helped exposed a Shal’rein clan cloaked battleship in the Aphadus system. I can assure you that my experience on looking for traps is quite valid.”

It was Shira’s only way to try to convince the Captain to wait until the other ship’s arrived, but it was to little avail. She knew that Lifen might have been stubborn, but her arguments also made sense as well. Each minute wasted getting to the ship may cost a human life in turn. Regardless, she knew that the clock on her digital stopwatch was going to reach zero pretty soon. Some things could never be controlled, and this was one of them. The shark-like eye was narrowed on the screen. She could see that something was flickering.

“I ... um...” Lynch said as he started to get a little nervous. “I’m starting to lose the sensors!”