Chapter 81

"You may engage, Mr Hobson."

The two by two point five metre bow chasers had been locked onto their target for some minutes and it only needed TJ's caressing of the firing stud to transform the target into momentarily glowing fragments.

The targets's pinnace turned away and accelerated but what it hoped to achieve was anybody's guess. A tractor beam lanced across the blackness of space retracting the pinnace towards a menacing shape softly limned in the starlight. By a combination of the traction and the slow advance of the shape, the pinnace was reeled in like a well hooked fish.

...

Clare recalled the crew to stations for translating and once in the hyper moved at a velocity compatible with being under sail. "Sundowner" continued until outside "usual" detection range by active search before veering further west for a similar distance. Under Warshawski sail, much greater velocities were attainable than with impellors in n space and "Sundowner" was at her waypoint before the " 'Falcon's" second hold was sealed.

Before translating back into n space, Clare deployed two scouts and FTL active slow searched the arc back to the transhipment site without return. The two scouts were sent on diverging courses towards " 'Falcon" and "Shiralee until they formed a wide triangle with the previously deployed scout at the apex with the base over the anomalous return. "Shiralee's" n space scout had not been inactive or stationary; it had been programmed to remain in Dune and move in increasingly wider swings about the two ships once the transfer began. "Shiralee's" scout dumped its take and Dell quickly reported the presence of a small buoy positioned close to the transhipment.

"Too small to be picked up by ship search" Morg opined as he stood behind his sister sticky beaking at the download "and probably wouldn't have got it on mine search either. Dell, close in on this area — yeh another one. Boss I suggest we put all four on mine search and see what we get."

"There doesn't appear to be anything around but... ; EW, one pulse, mine search, using the hyper scouts only."

"One pulse, mine search, aye Ma'am..."

Dell rotated the selector, designated the scouts, checked the sidebar indicated the changed status and pressed the button.

" ... Oohhh, yes. Ma'am. There are two returns in the scouts' search cones." Dell reported.

"Guns, that makes the anomalous return a target, I think."

"Boss, I agree. There ain't nowt else and something had to have seeded the area. Morg, a Faraday cage wrapped about a ship will make it undetectable?"

"Unless you want to do a full power probe but if you do that you are telling him you are onto him. Still, he'll know you are sweeping him" Morg replied.

"Only with normal active. FTL active can't be detected except with special equipment and no one else seems to have come up with anything like it." TJ reposited.

"The trouble being, gentlemen, is that if the other side has come up with something new, the first you know about it is when he tears you a new one" warned Clare. "Our anomalous friend, if he is there, is probably using a star com net back to a central pod which backloads to him via a small directional antenna. He had to seed a wide area because rendezvous are rarely exact in space — a couple of kay clicks either way ... Hmmm. We are far enough away that the hyper disturbance won't be spotted. Ms Ember, take us down and heave to. Carefully please."

"Careful translation, aye Ma'am...

(on the tannoy) D' ye hear there? All hands standby for careful translation; d' ye hear there? All hands standby for careful translation...

Helm, bow down fifty, power up to fifty grav and then back to idle."

"Down fifty, power surge aye Ma'am" 'Nita acknowledged.

A muttered "Smart arse" was heard from the Captain's chair.

"Sundowner" nosed into the layer and Shirley stifled a moan — she had barely recovered from the translation into hyper and her senses were being flagellated again. Dorothy judged it perfectly — "Sundowner" slid very slowly into n space,

"Dune shields, all stop main engines, four seconds retro thrust ... Helm, leave her so."

"Dune ... active, Ma'am" from Dell.

"Hold her so, aye Ma'am" from 'Nita.

"EW, hold the n space scout on our side of "Shiralee"." Clare ordered.

"Scout heave to between us, aye Ma'am" Dell acknowledged.

"Sundowner" was hove to forty kay clicks to the south west of the two ships. The anomalous area designated a target was some twenty three kay clicks nor' nor'east of "Sundowner". The scout reports were combined by the battle 'puter and a holo was thrown. The holo showed "Shiralee" standing off from " 'Falcon" and the conversation was retransmitted via tight beam to "Sundowner". The holo showed "Shiralee" move off to the north and the watchers understood the immobility of "'Falcon".

Clare moved slightly in her chair as if to ease a circulation,

"Actions stations, please Miss Ember. Engines to standby. Guns, the bow chasers, please."

The bongs rang through the ship and Dorothy spoke into the tannoy

"D'ye hear there? All hands to action stations! D' ye hear there? All hands to action Stations."

Within two minutes, events speeded up.

"'Falcon" began to move with the acceleration of a hamstrung tortoise; a warship slid its way out of its metal mesh overcoat, raised its shields and accelerated to cut "'Falcon" off from hyper. Clare ordered

"Stay parallel to her but don't allow him to get between us."

'Nita was reacting as Dorothy was issuing the orders and 'Nita acknowledging.

'Nita was juggling the throttles as TJ advised

"Bow chasers locked on."

Dorothy advised

"Ship closed up for action, Ma'am."

"Ma'am, target appears to be a DE (Destroyer Escort*)" Dell reported.

"Thank you, EW."

(*DEs, designed for convoy escort, are the cheap version of the Fleet Destroyer[DD]; if the DD is the greyhound of the seas, the DE is the poodle.)

The DE closed rapidly on the freighter.

A command voice came over the guard frequency as the DE fired a laser beam across the bow of the "Golden Falcon",

""'Falcon", heave to stat! I'm sending a boarding party. Any coms from you and I'll blast your bridge apart and pick up the pieces afterwards."

The way fell off "'Falcon" and her retro thrusters bloomed momentarily, A pinnace detached from the DE and raced for the stopping freighter. The DE turned over.

Clare mused and then ordered

"Doesn't identify himself. Suits. No need to take any risks; triple shields, EW. Coms, challenge him, third protocol."

"Triple shields, Ma'am" Dell acknowledged as she lifted the cover, pushed the toggle switch and let the cover fall; every passive screen in the immediate area bloomed.

Bet selected the guard com and hailed the DE

"Warship challenging "'Falcon", this is "Sundowner" under United Solarian Senate letters of marque; drop your shields stat and heave to. There will be no further warning."

The DE's shields intensified and he began a skew turn away — a variation of a turnover (in this instance a turnback).

Clare waited until the DE had almost completed its skew turn without any sign of heaving to.

"He's gone to full power, Ma'am" Dell reported.

"Very well. You may engage, Mr Hobson. Boat Bay! Mr Miller, put a tractor on that pinnace. Helm, engines all stop, full retro thrust and down thrust."

'Nita in the left seat and Sandra in the right seat acknowledged.

"Com, direct link to "'Falcon" please."

"Com three, Ma'am" Bet advised.

""'Falcon", "Sundowner" advise status, over."

""Sundowner", "'Falcon", all secure here now. A traitor blew atmosphere and pulled the enviro circuits. Fool! I had kept the crew in skinnies so no harm. We have him in custody. It will take about thirty minutes to build up atmosphere. Over."

While Don Francesco had been speaking Clare had ordered all thrust stopped and "Sundowner" hove to still a kay click to the west of "'Falcon" and slightly discside.

""'Falcon", please stay in position while we talk to that pinnace. I might want your advice as to their fate, over."

""'Falcon", wilco"

""Sundowner" clear."

Clare turned her attention to the pinnace,

"Ms Ember, armed party of six to the boat bay, projectile weapons. Mr Wilson, I'd be grateful if you'd shake that pinnace as you haul it in."

"Pleasure Ma'am. I presume you want them to be still able to move under their own power."

"Yah. Hold the pinnace off and have them come over singly. Manacle them; I'll send Cat down to interrogate them."

"Done, Ma'am. Make sure the escorts have strong stomachs, Ma'am, I've heard about the Daughters."

"I heard that, Dusty." Cat objected; "I'll have you know we never spill even a drop of blood."

"It's not the blood, it's the other mess you cause that I worry about" Dusty rejoined.

"Right, just for that, you come watch to see that it's all lies."

Cat made her way to the lift and was joined by the Gennies of the escort party. They exited on E where Elle greeted them; Elle was still in hardsuit ("Sundowner was still at action stations) but her helmet was on its leash

"How do you want to do this, Cat?"

"Bring them over one at a time. We'll strip and then chain 'em to the bulkhead by the ready room. When they're all over, I'll take them one at a time into the fresher and have a quiet chat. Irene (turning to AB Irene S.Downer), no talking among the prisoners and when I'm done chain them back up on the other side of the ready room hatch."

While Cat was seeking the co-operation of the captives, Elle searched the pinnace before bringing it into the boat bay and clamping it to a bulkhead after retrieving the weapons. Clare stood "Sundowner" down from action stations but maintained a full bridge watch. It was Morg who came down to inspect Elle's finds as Cat was involved in discussions with them.

The Hobsen brothers, Arthur and Leonard, with the Grace brothers, David and Dermot, had been dispatched in the shuttle truck to retrieve that mesh. That took just over five hours and they had to tow it back as it was too large. (Dusty had it stowed in the forward boat bay after 737 had departed for "'Falcon".)

Dusty watched the interrogations and left feeling decidedly nauseous at the agony of each prisoner as Cat used her skills and judiciously applied chemicals to improve the prisoners' memories. The prisoners' body wastes were washed away to be recycled. Even sweat has an odour.

Elle and Madame O were detailed in 737 to convey the prisoners and escort accompanied by Morg and Cat (who had made a quick report to her captain) over to "'Falcon". The Sundowners were still in hard suits and the escorts remained armed. Clare's hidden agenda and her instructions to Morg were to ensure Don Francesco was indeed in charge.

He was. Cat had some information for Don Francesco but nothing probative. Don Francesco invited Cat to speak with the new traitor and with a little encouragement (which left that gentleman still convulsing for the rest of his short life — poor chap proved to be allergic) the evidence became more convincing and produced several investigatory trails (which later did raise convincing proof).

Clare commed Charles to make arrangements for "Golden Falcon" to berth in the Ramsgate orbital dock. After retrieving the n space scout, "Sundowner" escorted "'Falcon" back to Old Earth with the other three scouts running cover for the convoy. Re-entry into n space was into Uncontrolled N-Space over the South Atlantic avoiding Controlled N-Space on the voyage to Ramsgate.