Chapter 4: A sudden engagement

I looked at Peter when he walked in, “I think I want to try Saint Joseph.”

He crossed to the holograph I was looking into, “Why?”

I switched to a data screen, “Look at the traffic and the ship types.”

He nodded, “Very few warships.”

I looked at him, “Did you get the new engines installed?”

We had taken new prototype engines as well as a reactor and new missiles from the last ship we had taken. We also had a new skip engine and a new grav screen. From everything we had looked at, it would improve the ship a lot. Of course I waited until we were back in our own station to let captain Jennings know.

Peter grinned, “They went in smoothly and Lorenz said she will be ready for a test in the morning.”

I nodded, “They were the last. If they test out we leave straight from the test.”

He nodded and looked at the holograph again, “We going in a couple of days short and ghosting?”

I touched a spot in the holograph, “Right here outside and above the heliopause. I was thinking of ghosting to just above the normal jump point and waiting there.”

Peter grinned, “I will let everyone know to go enjoy tonight.”

I was piloting as we left the station and the ship moved smoothly, almost with a sense of hidden power. Lorenz was grinning from her holograph display as I began to accelerate over the belt and towards the heliopause. I started making turns and rolling the ship and sudden breaking and accelerations.

It was a few hours before I looked at Lorenz, “It feels good but what do you think?”

She and the other two engineers had been watching and she grinned, “Perfect.”

I sat back and set course out towards the heliopause. Weeks later the jump went smoothly and we coasted after we came out. I sat in the captain’s chair and glanced at Edgar, “Anything?”

He shook his head, “Just a few cargo ships deeper in the system.”

I relaxed, “Twenty percent Sonia and set course for our site.”

There was a lot of traffic in and out over the next week, all cargo ships. It was early morning when another appeared out of jump. This one was registered to Saint Michael and I nodded to myself as I hit the general quarters button and accelerated. I glanced at Edgar on scan, “Any warships?”

He shook his head, “Nothing.”

I checked everyone in as we got closer and we fired a warning shot. The cargo ship came to a stop but something did not feel right as we approached. I glanced at Edgar, “Do a hull map.”

He looked at me before turning back to do as I told him. He jerked a moment later as the missile warning screamed. I hit the skip button and we were lucky, the wormhole opened and we jumped. It was brief and then we came out of jump. I spun the ship, “Target and fire Samantha.”

We had not gone far, in fact we had barely jumped past the cargo ship before coming out. Samantha was good and all six launchers fired as Lorenz began doing something and Tana shoved into the spare scan seat to start electronic countermeasures. All six missiles slammed into the cargo ship before a second set launched and a single missile screamed out towards us.

I was prepared and rolled ship as I skipped past the ship again. We came out and I spun the ship to see it exploding. A wormhole opened beyond the heliopause and another cargo ship emerged and then a cruiser. I cursed, “Target that cruiser and get its signature locked in!”

Lorenz and Andy were bumping heads as they began changing settings and the cruiser fired from extreme range and Edgar grunted, “Got it!”

I skipped and turned the ship, “Fire!”

Samantha had been anticipating me and fired all six missiles before I skipped again. We jumped past the cruiser and came out and I spun the ship, “Again!”

Another six missiles raced out as the cruiser bucked and twisted. This time after we came out of jump and spun, it was to see the cruiser as a shattered wreck. I growled, “Fire a warning shot past that cargo ship.”