Chapter 3

We jumped the ship out into the sector’s ‘badlands’ and checked the systems individually. We test-fired the level eight lasers on a convenient asteroid (that could, by a stretch, be considered a navigational hazard). The third burst of high-energy protons rendered the asteroid into dust particles. Our heat buildup from the firing was hardly noticeable. Level eight lasers were well known for their ability to fire continuously for over a cycle before heat build-up degraded the fire rate.

I checked with the station’s watch officer on the pirates’ last known location while Bonnie filed her temporary independent operations transfer request with the base Admiral. It was granted on the spot. Ten cycles later, I received the confirmation of employment transfer from the Admiral. It contained a personal note that I had better take good care of his granddaughter!

You would have thought he was giving me her hand in marriage by the curt wording of the message. Then, the thought hit me like a ton of plastic steel. Marriage! Would I want to make her mine permanently? I finally decided that the idea had lots of merit. I would have to wait and see if she would consider such a thing. After all, I could handle rejection better.

We had been practicing with the new ship for hours when the ship’s AI reported a damaged ship ahead of us. I ordered us to close, and Bonnie turned all business-like when I gave my first order. She sat at the navigation control unit and had us alongside the damaged ship quickly.

Sensors showed the ship had recently been in a battle. Part of its cargo was still on board. There were no life signs, and the escape pod was missing.

I filed a salvage request and was granted it with a very short delay. We turned on the ‘tractor beam’ and began to tow the ship back to port.

We got tiny. It was a classic ambush setup. I was not surprised when they came at us from both sides. What surprised me was that there were eight raiders, not three or four. I took the manual controls, and Bonnie watched with more than a little fear.

Dropping the tractor beam, I flipped the ship to port and faced the four coming from that way. I goosed the throttle to close on the group of four, keeping the starboard group out of range a little longer. I ordered Bonnie to take the rear lasers and wait ‘til she had a lock to fire.

The four raiders at my bow were closing quickly. I locked the missile system on the first one and thumbed the laser fire button. It took five bursts of fire to break through his shield, and the sixth and seventh bursts vaporized the ship.

No escape pod was ejected. Then again, once one is launched, you will know if a ship is equipped with one. It was not uncommon for pirates not to have them as standard equipment. Pods had a considerable price tag, making them optional equipment in the badlands.

I toggled the missile system to select the next target and maintained continuous laser fire. I raked shots across two of the three raiders in my sights. One raider that was struck lost his engine and controls simultaneously. As he spun away, I turned my attention to the third raider. There was the audible sound of a missile lock in the targeting system. I fingered the lasers again and hit him eight times in a row. The raider’s ship buckled under the onslaught, and his bridge exploded.

If he had a life pod, he wouldn’t have gotten a chance to use it.

I shifted fire to the fourth raider just as the lasers built enough heat to slow the fire rate down by ten percent. This didn’t help the raider in the least. It looked like he was in a Mk IV, and his ship was cut in two a moment later.

Bonnie yelled, “They’re coming in range!”

I saw a laser flash by my port side. Then, there was a missile warning. One of the raiders was not pleased about losing half his command so quickly. I rolled out of the current attack vector and toggled an ECM decoy. Heat build-up now had the ship operating at eighty percent.

The incoming torpedo erupted into the ECM burst. I brought the ship around and got my first lock tone. I fired one missile and watched the raider turn to flee. Good, let him try that. Mk VII Torps would chase him for days. Three raiders were heading at me when I toggled the laser again. Twelve bursts later, one ship exploded into fine mist.

Two raiders continued to close. My Laser System was down to sixty percent. I raked both ships and caused some damage. One spun out of control, and the last turned tail to run. I locked a torpedo on him and fired.

The first torpedo found its mark. A fireball could be seen in the distance as the ship blew apart. I locked onto the disabled boat, spinning out of control. I loosed a three-burst laser barrage. It was no longer crippled. It was dead.

I rolled the ship back towards the first group. Scanners showed that the other damaged ship had recovered control. A Laser burst lit up the view screen as his level three laser connected with my shields. I fired a single level eight burst into his side, and his ship exploded.

The aft view screen showed the last raider as the torpedo connected with him.

The battle was over that fast. They rarely take up to two or three cycles, anyway. If they do, your ship dies from heat overload, which you follow shortly after. I filed an intercept report and the gun camera footage from the action.

Ten cycles later, I received confirmation of the kills and a ‘bounty paid report’ since it was 25,000 credits per kill. I made 200,000 GC that quickly, all neatly deposited in my account. Well, I would have to give the first officer some of that. Then again, what if she was open to a more permanent arrangement? I gulped, realizing she would be entitled to half of it. Well, everything one did had a price tag. I decided I would have to be sure before I ever asked her.

Bonnie was glad to be alive. She confessed that she had never heard of anyone taking out eight raiders in a single engagement. Her opinion of me went up a few notches.

I know my little head had raised a few notches as I looked at her with growing desire. Combat always made me horny, and it always seemed to be proportional to the risk involved. I was very, very horny at the moment.

However, that would have to wait. There was a little matter of salvage that needed to be addressed first. From the look of things, I can get five to ten million from what remained of the three ships.