Chapter 10: Stealing a payroll

I glanced at Samantha as she slipped into the scan seat, “Did we get all the missiles loaded?”

She grinned, “And they even made the adjustments to the warheads.”

It had only been a week since we docked but we had a target and a schedule to keep. She grinned and nodded and I finished my system checks. I moved the ship away from the station on thrusters before turning to head out. I went up to head over the belt and looked at Andy in the engineering holograph when he cleared his throat, “Yes?”

He grinned, “Try skipping now.”

I checked everything twice as I plotted a skip and hit the button. We jumped through the wormhole smoothly and I grinned as I began plotting skips out of the system. An hour later I checked and plotted the long jump and we came out a day outside the system heliopause. I began moving us towards the position we had selected for our ambush.

I looked at Samantha as she sent a scan relay to my console, “Anything insystem?”

She grinned and shook her head, “Not unless it is docked.”

I took my time, we still had days before the payroll transport was due. That morning I was relaxing in the pilot’s chair when the ships jumped in. I sat up and Tana turned to look at me, “One freighter, one Marshal class small transport and two cruisers.”

I looked at the scan and turned, “General quarters.”

I watched the systems come alive as I plotted a skip and glanced at Samantha in her holo before I hit the button. We had been waiting for this and as soon as we came out six missiles streaked out and I turned and began to accelerate. Six more missiles fired as the first six impacted on one of the cruisers. It did not even have its shields up and vanished in the explosion.

I skipped and when we came out spun the ship only to see the second cruiser ripped apart. I turned the ship and went after the transport, “Send the warning.”

The two ships slowed as I headed for the transport and Tana hissed, “Four cruisers headed out.”

I nodded and began moving closer to the transport and she shifted in her seat, “I think they just spaced something.”

I glanced at Samantha, “Can you snag that with a grav anchor?”

She grinned, “Sure.”

I nodded as I docked and opened the intercom, “Go!”

I waited and kept glancing at the scan relay. The four cruisers were making long skips but we had time. Peter came on our comm channel, “The payroll is not here.”

I thought of them spacing it and smiled, “I think we already have it. Move away and head out.”

I glanced at Samantha in her holograph, “Have one of your men bring in the grav anchor and see what we caught.”

Once I had the green light from the airlock I used thrusters to move away from the transport. As it began to turn away Tana gasped and I glanced at the scan relay. I saw a swarm of space fighters heading away from the freighter and towards us. I brought our shields up and spun the ship as I opened the comm, “Kick the lifeboat free and jump now Peter.”

I looked at Samantha, “Set the proximity fuses and fire the missiles.”

She nodded and a few moments later six missiles streaked out. A couple of dozen missiles streaked towards us but I had plotted a skip and pushed the button. When we came out I turned the ship to see a two thirds of the fighters missing as well as the transport. Six more missiles fired towards the remaining fighters.

I spun the ship and skipped, “Blow the freighter.”

We came out and I twisted the ship in a spiral and turned before we fired six more missiles into the freighter. It was almost point blank and they did not have time to put out decoys. The missiles mostly ripped open holds that were nothing but vacuum. The two that did not blew into the after section and one of the reactors.

The ship exploded as I turned and accelerated and plotted a jump out. I was worried Peter had not made it out but when we came out of jump Tana sighed as I turned to head insystem, “The transport is ahead of us.”

I glanced at the scan relay and adjusted course. I looked at Samantha in her holo, “Tell me we got the payroll.”

She grinned and nodded, “And the pay records.”

I laughed and relaxed as we closed with the transport. After we docked I put the ship on standby and stretched. I grinned at the others as I walked off the bridge. What was in the transport was more luxury items. I let the men lose to look through the cargo and select a few things. I also called Jennings and told him we had the pay records for the whole enemy fleet.