Chapter 60

"Helm, match velocities with her but don't mask her and keep her just outside Dune."

"Match velocity, aye Ma'am." Dorothy responded.

Cedric, on EW, reported,

"'puter says she's "Tiffany", a fast secure-transport, owned by Barclay Brown Close LLC, registered Brusles, Eurocon. Blue flight got visuals (zoomed the holo to show a sleek ship with her bow nearly destroyed and leaking atmosphere and reaction mass); electronically she's a mess — she's pouring energy into her shields to cover that damage. And she has got to be at redline to be doing five ten gravs but she has the wood on her pursuers putting an extra ... two, well one and a half kay clicks, between them since we've picked her up."

Allie was beside Cedric and put her bit,

"Barclays is a Merchant banker in Lunden, Enkland ... Is that shield vibrating?"

"Yah" Cedric confirmed "she must have generator problems. That damage activated her emergency beacon because they are using harmonics to suppress it, but its leaking through."

"Ahh, Blue Leader to Pidgeon Roost, we've got a take on the chasers and it looks like a Harbourian Task Group — I make it a BB, two CAs and four 'cans; all going at BB's redline I reckon. About four ninety. Unless you got a better idea, I'm gonna stay high above the pursuit line and between you. Over."

There was a quick discussion between Morg, as Flight Ops (instantaneous appointment) and Clare

"Peoples' Republic?" Clare puzzled and Morg shrugged

"Probably refugees from the coup; many of the outer units went rogue. TJ reported it in an intel summary five, six years or so ago."

Clare agreed to Blue Leader's proposal. While Morg passed the instructions, Clare instructed Jane Foster to put the command chair on guard tight beam at "Tiffany",

"Allie, give him a single directed ping."

Cedric had been giving thought about attracting "Tiffany's" attention and had this set up as an option and all Allie had to do was make sure the aerial was pointing in the correct direction and briefly pushed the toggle.

Clare activated the tight beam,

""Tiffany" this is United Solarian Navy armed merchant cruiser "Sundowner" abeam on your less damaged side, acknowledge. Over."

A female voice, with an aggrieved languid Oxbridge accent, came back

""Ahhh... "Sundowner" could you tone the ping down just a bit? Nearly deafened us. What can we do for you? "Tiffany".

"We thought you might want some assistance. "Sundowner"."

"Not unless you can take out those pirates chasing us. Over."

"That's a bit beyond our capability and besides they are Harbourians. What damage have you. Over."

"One of the DDs put a light laser beam into the bow but we have it under control. Over."

"No, they haven't" Cedric mentally informed Clare. "They are losing atmosphere and fuel in increasing amounts — they are losing control."

Clare transmitted again

"My sensors report the atmosphere and reaction mass loss has increased. Over."

"We have the situation under control. Over."

"Suits; why did they fire into you? Over."

"Might have had something to do with our not heaving to. Over."

"You are in a declared war zone and they can stop and inspect; my EW just said unless you are completely full of reaction mass, you are going to run out of fuel before you get anywhere. We can take your crew off and we can outrun that lot. Over"

"From pot to flame, methinks. Well stay with our ship, thanks. Over"

While this exchange was going on Blue Leader reported the CAs had fired a salvo of missiles each, shut them down after establishing them into their run, and the DDs had been unleashed coming up at five thirty gravs. The active FTL had detected the firing flare but then lost the return as the missiles went ballistic at over a thousand gravs. The shielding at the distance involved was good enough to prevent "Sundowner's" active from obtaining details.

Clare passed the report to "Tiffany" adding

" ... the missiles are ballistic and unless you shear off, they'll overtake you in twenty three minutes and if you shear off, my people estimate the DDs can cut the corner and nail you. I can take you and your crew off before the missiles arrive if you start now. Over."

"We are staying, thanks. "Tiffany" clear."

Clare considered momentarily and then quietly ordered,

"Nav, come to heading for Comalee, decrease gravs to two ninety; Mr Windsor, move Blue flight to astern of us for a bit until we see what they are up to."

Morg made the entry into the 'puter,

"Course for Comalee entered, Ma'am" and then began muttering into his boom mike to Blue flight.

"Comalee and two ninety, aye Ma'am" Dorothy acknowledged.

The bridge console occupants sat quietly watching events on the holo.

Within minutes, the two nearest DDs and a CA turned as a unit onto an intercept heading toward "Sundowner", Cedric reported it and then mused,

" ... must have tagged us as we turned away through the wake of "Tiffany", Boss there is someone sharp over there."

"Recover Blue flight with all despatch, Mr Windsor, and give me maximum velocity we can make and recover Blue."

Morg had the answer instantly,

"Precisely four hundred twelve but I'd recommend three fifty as Blue ain't exactly experienced, Ma'am, and we come left forty five degrees."

"Helm, increase to three ninety gravs and port to three one five zero zero zero. Mr Windsor, have Blue go to max power and tell them to smack it about."

"Three one five level and three ninety gravs, Ma'am" Dorothy acknowledged.

Clare deemed it safer to decrease to two forty gravs to recover Blue flight which did take some time but then increased to six forty gravs as soon as the chicks were in the roost.

Cedric reported that Dune had emitted radiation at the entry point of Blue flight and the pursuers had adjusted within a minute.

The slow down might have given momentary hope to the chasers but it must have been short lived as "Sundowner" surged away, under Dune, in a gentle swing to take them back onto the original heading which was not detected by the chasers.

The Sundowners stood down from action stations four hours after the swing was initiated; FTL active was used every fifteen minutes for twelve hours by which time "Sundowner" was back to two ninety gravs with impellor shields headed direct for Comalee and the CA and DDs were no longer within FTL active range

At the debrief, TJ announced that five hours eight minutes after separation from "Tiffany" she had issued a general distress call which had been cut off abruptly. He had got this information from the downloads from the FTL net piggybacked on the 'Tangerine' beacons at the Langrangian points and worked it back to get the times (with Morg's assistance).

The Daughters had discussed the possible reasons for "Tiffany" to decline the offer of rescue and thought that "Sundowner's" bona fides had not been established — a ship contacting them, not seen either electronically or visually, out of nowhere, claiming to be a USN armed merchant cruiser, Old Earth registered as a freighter yet able to match five ten gravs and a spokeswoman with a decided Mounty accent. Grounds to be suspicious.

Dusty Miller reported severe angst among the trainees that "Sundowner" had not rescued "Tiffany" despite both Morg's and Dusty's explanations of both the political and the tactical difficulties involved. Counselling to continue and to involve the Widows.

Clare directed recovery of HACs at higher velocities and external berthing of the HACs to the hull to be practised.

Orville and his black gang reported no problems from the high speed run. Orville, somewhat tongue in cheek, suggested that sometime in the next ten or so years, thought be given to replacing the Adama fission piles as they had been running for fifteen years. The reaction mass bunkers were good for another three years if not topped up sooner.

The wash-up was that for a first effort involving 'independent' HACs, the operational side had been satisfactory overall. TJ and Cedric were detailed to look at the problem of emissions from Dune penetration by HACs

...

The ant's nest was kicked over a day out of Comalee.

Mrs Smeaton accompanied by Dusty Miller requested an interview with the Captain.

With the exception of Elle Stanton and fourteen males (on the list provided) the Trainees and the other two widows wanted their discharge in Comalee. Dusty gave the reasons of the Trainees. Clare (and the Tulips plus Daughters) had not been surprised having been kept aware of events by the Companions and certain precautions had been taken.

The disgruntled Trainees felt that it had been cowardly to have left "Tiffany" to her fate by not engaging the Task Group.

Dusty had been told to discretely emphasise that Comalee had no reliable diplomatic contact with anybody, let alone Mountserrat, and he had done this repeatedly - to no avail.

Legally Clare could have enforced the enlistment contract or could have handed the recalcitrant crewmen over to the authorities as prejudicially discharged. However, Clare went with the opinion of her friends and agreed to discharge by consent with the provisos that all electronics be 'washed' and the ID / transponder chip in their forearms be removed.

The removal of the chip was argued until Cedric demonstrated on Mrs Smeaton his device for removal which left a cutaneous puncture mark no larger than that used on insertion. (Her chip was immediately reinserted.)

The Soyns (a gift from the Training Ship) presented a problem overcome by exchanging the older model with a latest model (appropriately modified by TJ who held the belief that none of the Soyns would remain in the trainees' possession for more than three days dirtside).

(In the event, he was wrong. Tim Haventer managed to obtain sanctuary in the Midacon Embassy after some eight days where the Charge d' affairs "accepted" the Soyn in return for safe passage. The Diplomat was a fair trader and Haventer was the only one ever to return to Gorgipest - after an arduous journey.)

"Sundowner" berthed, port side to, and the paid off crew with their possessions in pusser bags departed as soon as Customs was cleared. Provisions were loaded and the remaining Sundowners swung into trading mode to ready House of Tulip and New Harriers. It was a saddened crew and while the work was performed well there was no joyous atmosphere — the pall hung heavily.

It took three days to open C forward and the depleted crew were stretched to their physical limits; after two days of trading, Clare decreased the trading hours to not place too great a burden upon her troops — this after all was camouflage.

Midday of the fourth local day of trading, Persephone Williams and Juliette Cambry returned 'reporting for duty'. They had somehow managed to survive and later told some harrowing tales of that survival. The two had managed to get back to the orbitals — they never would say how they managed that — and watched the airbridge for several hours before mingling with a large group of female office workers who visited House of Tulip and enjoyed New Harrier's hospitality on a planned half day. The two ex crew women had repaired their clothing as best they could, purloined some extras, hid their bruises literally under hull paint as make up, mingled at the last minute, and got past the security on the airbridge. They had been running on pure adrenalin and managed to make it to the Club galley to get out of the public gaze before collapsing.

Estelle Smeaton was called for and she got the women down to E with assistance from other Trainees. Estelle chased the men out, back to C, and got Elle Stanton to assist in examining the women. During her sojourns on "Sundowner", Widow Smeaton had kept her eyes and ears open and Elle was surprised when Widow Smeaton gazed vacantly at the overhead