Schism of Blood and Stone (The Starfield Theory Book 1) (19 page)

Kristoffer

Captain of the
MacCleod

MacCleod
, Letterkenny, Caeph Dominion

______________

The
MacCleod
squeezed back into existence on the fringe
of the Letterkenny system. Just a few thousand klicks away floated the outer proto-planet of the system, designated LNK X. The ice ball rotated slowly, barely a speck visible in space. The Letterkenny sun, a dim M-type II star, was a similar speck, barely discernible from the tens of thousands of other stars visible. Despite its small size, the sun was still powerful enough to host two barely habitable planets, both ClassEs, which the Dominion used to mine minerals.

More importantly, it was also the staging area used to launch the assault on Mkuranga two years prior that crushed local Commonwealth forces and initiated the new round of conflict between Dominion and Commonwealth. So far no counter attack had yet been made. Lord Damien and his border forces were still waiting to blunt Dominion advances before attempting to retake lost territory.

Chris watched the ice ball for just a few moments longer through the tiny reinforced ferro-glass windows that ringed the bridge, wondering why anyone would fight and kill for such a worthless hunk of rock before an alarm blared through the vessel and brought him back to reality. The high pitched shrill was the one alarm Chris had been hoping to avoid.

“Hostiles bearing one hundred degrees absolute north and closing fast. One shuttle and two frigates,” Proda barked from his sensor station.

“Dominion ships? Tell them to stand down, we're not looking for a fight,” Chris ordered.

“They're not Dominion, Chris,” Nick said quietly. “Out here it's probably Orieti or Black Lotus. My bet's on the latter,” he said naming the pirates that often operated in the outer reaches of core solar systems, far beyond the military patrols.

“Do they have any markings?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, Nick was right. They're Black Lotus,” Proda whispered confirming his fears.

Chris felt an ominous lump form in his gut that twisted its way up to his heart. He'd only heard of the Black Lotus in his schooling and the vicious stories spread about them by the locals. They were notorious for preying on mining vessels and colonies across the Core and Fringe of human space. Their origins were in legitimate mining prospects across the Core for a firm called Lotus, but when legitimate wealth was not enough, they formed a militant wing to raid other firms and governments to increase their profits. They were named the Black Lotus, after a flower found growing in swampy mud of the corporation's homeworld. The white lotus bore cultural significance as a representation of purity and non-attachment so, obviously, a black lotus carried none of those characteristics. As the legitimate side of their business became blacklisted throughout the entire Human Core, they abandoned it and enhanced their pirate fleets. Now they lived off of what they captured and sold on black markets and back channels to the Great States. Now they had the
MacCleod
in their sight.

“Get the Hronguards on the guns,” Chris ordered. “I don't think we can talk our way out of this. Our cargo is more valuable than any bribe we can give them.”

“Can we really overpower two frigates?” Proda asked.

Chris ignored him. “I think we need to speak with Lord Morlan and ask for his assistance.”

Nick whipped his head around, “You're not serious. You're going to trust them?”

“We're not soldiers, Nick,” Chris said. “We have a Dominion general on board who's seen his fair share of combat. Besides, if they board us they'll take him as a hostage. I think he has a stake in the outcome here.”

“I'm more worried about him trying to commandeer the
Cleod
for themselves,” Nick persisted.

“Stop,” Chris said holding up a hand to stem any further discussion. “We don't have long and we need some help here. Alert Pershing to the situation and bring him here quickly.”

Nick pursed his lips, but obeyed his friend's order. Resigned, he jogged from the bridge, his feet echoing down the corridor before the hatch clanged closed behind him.

Chris kept his eyes on the screen that tracked the position of the Lotus vessels. The
MacCleod
was not intended as a combat vessel and had no strategic tank which made tracking and observing the movements of other ships difficult. Chris could only rely on what the external cameras and sensors told him. The frigates slowed as they neared then drifted apart. One held its position, its guns locking onto the
MacCleod.
The other continued its approach, its sensors likely sizing up the ship's defenses. The shuttle held back, awaiting orders to launch its boarding party. The
MacCleod
was turning sharply at high speed, but not fast enough. The Lotus ships had set a trap and the
MacCleod
was headed right into it.

A warning klaxon blared loudly, demanding attention. “Incoming fire,” Proda reported with the calm of announcing paint dry. “It's going to miss. Warning shot across the bow. Hang on.”

He'd been harassed by Azuren legates, even been in a few fistfights with grumpy spacers and their hired thugs, but never had pirates attempted to board his ship. His stomach rolled with anxiety and he began to feel ill. If the Lotus ships boarded, there was going to be a fight. Even if the Hronguards could fend off the boarding attempt, the Lotus frigates would destroy them before they could make good an escape. The situation did not appear favorable.

Briefly, he wondered if he could bribe them. They didn't have much on board, just personal effects, some weapons, and the drive mask and jump drive. Nick would likely be happy to be rid of Pershing, even if the Lotus ransomed him back to the Dominion themselves. That would make Drayton extremely upset. Such a bribe would probably fail, Chris concluded.
They'd probably want
MacCleod
herself
and I'm not willing to give up my ship.

“There's a transmission coming in now,” Proda said after hitting a few switches.

“Put me through,” Chris said with more confidence than he felt. He fumbled with the headset and finally got it over his head.

There was a burst of static, then, “Captain of incoming vessel, you are in violation of Black Lotus space. Power down your engines and prepare your ship for boarding. Consider your cargo confiscated.”

Chris shook his head. “This is the captain of the
MacCleod
in contract with Drayton Logistics and Transportation. Firing on this vessel is in violation of the Azuren Free Trade Act. You risk retaliation from my company and Azuren forces. Identify yourself,” he commanded.

The voice came back again, laughing at him. “This is
Labored Soul
captained by Nordu Yurani.”

Chris shot a glanced at Proda who shook his head. He didn't recognize the name or the ship.

“Azuren armies have no sway out here. Considering you did not arrive in this system at its stargate suggests you are in possession of technology dubbed illegal by the Azuren. You will receive no help from them. Again, power down your engines or we will disable them,” the voice demanded.

Chris swallowed hard. They called his bluff.

“We have no valuable equipment on board. We are on our way to a pick up and have nothing in the bays. You're only wasting your time,” Chris said, trying a new angle.

“We'll determine what's valuable and what's not, Captain. If nothing else, your ship will be a pitiful, but useful addition to my fleet. Now this is my final warning, shut down your systems, or I will shut them down for you.”

Chris exhaled heavily.
There's no way to wiggle out of this one.

“
Labored Soul,
we are powering down,” he said finally.

At a signal from Chris, Proda cut the transmission without bothering to wait for a response.

“Sir?” Chen asked quietly, waiting for direction.

“Do it.”

Slowly, Chen began shutting down the ship's power. The main lights on the bridge went out. Back up emergency lighting flickered on and cast everything in a tangerine glow.

“Where are we? Are the Dominion people in position yet? What about those Hronguard troopers?” Chris demanded.

“The Hronguard troops are setting up defenses now,” Proda said. “The Lotus shuttle is small enough to fit in our docking bay. I don't think their ships will fire on us if their marines are inside.”

Chris arced an eyebrow. “Would they? They are pirates after all. I don't think there's much camaraderie among their kind.”

“Either way, they'll make for the bridge to gain control of the ship.” Chen said.

“Then let's make sure to harass them the whole way in,” Chris said.

“And if they get in?” Proda asked.

Chris closed his eyes and mentally took a deep breath.
If they get through that door I don't expect they'll show us much mercy.

Chris ignored the question and continued. “Get all non-combat personnel to the bridge. I don't want anyone caught out there,” Chris said, then turned back to the screens.

“What about the Lotus ships?” Proda pushed. “Even if we fend off their landing force they can still rip us to shreds.”

Kerali sat upright in her chair. “We can use the mask.”

“The drive mask?” Chris asked.

“Yeah. I mean, it's not exactly a drive mask, that's just how it's configured. It can mask the electronic and magnetic signature from pretty much any piece of equipment, kind of like a white noise generator. I can configure it to mask the power flow to the gun ports. It won't take a moment,” she said.

“Do it.”

“I have to be in the engine block,” she said hesitantly, glancing at the screens displaying the approaching Lotus vessels.

“Run,” Chris grunted, but Kerali was already out the hatch.

If her plan worked they'd be able to keep power to the guns right under the noses of the Lotus ships. A surprise attack might disorient them long enough to escape.

Chris watched the shuttle move towards
MacCleod
and pause a few kilometers away. He couldn't so much see the physical craft as he could determine the outline by the stars the vessel blocked out. He figured they were running sweeps of the
Cleod's
weapons systems, seeing if they were active. Seemingly satisfied, the ship slid forward into the open landing bay.

The
MacCleod
had no internal cameras, so the command crew would be blind to the battle as it progressed. Any reports would be filtered through the radios. From now on, Chris would be nearly powerless to control the battle. It was in the hands of the combatants now.

“You know, I was in the Commonwealth armed forces for a few years after school,” Proda said abruptly. “I have weapons training, but I haven't fired a gun in years. Do we even have anything to defend ourselves with?”

“Not on the bridge. If they get this far, it'll be over anyway. We might be better off pleading for our lives,” Chris said. “We have no cargo and nothing valuable except the ship and the drive mask. Maybe that will be enough for them. They might be able to ransom back the Dominion officers if they don't kill them all,” Chris said.

“Or us,” Chen added. “I need a drink.”

“Lotus shuttle has landed. They're exiting the craft,” Proda reported.

“Are we ready?”

“The Hronguards have set up their choke points and put as many traps in as possible. They're as ready as they will ever be. I don't know about the Dominion troops,” Proda reported.

Chris steepled his fingers and took a deep breath, trying to calm his rattled nerves. Drayton promised that this wouldn't be an issue. The guards were there just as a precaution, he'd said.
Well damn him anyway.

Chris started to feel a sick sense of hopelessness settle over him like a heavy cloak. The Black Lotus were deadly people, ruthless and efficient. They were notorious for taking no prisoners. Opposing them were a handful of civilian crew, a few escaped soldiers on the run and a handful of mercenaries beholden to money not victory. How could his little band possibly survive?

I've never felt so helpless,
Chris thought.
Our fates are entirely in the hands of others we've never met before. If the Lotus troopers reach the bridge, we're screwed. They'll torture and kill us just for having the audacity to fight back. Drayton will strike
MacCleod
from the record books and it'll be like we never existed. Just another freighter caught out somewhere it shouldn't have been.
MacCleod
will just join the long lists of ghost ships that dot the outer reaches of solar systems.

Chris looked over at Proda, his nerves still heightened. “Update?”

“Lotus forces have engaged the Hronguards. There are firefights across the spine and they're falling back,” Proda reported. “No reaction from the frigates, yet.”

“What about casualties?”

Proda shook his head. “A few, but no way to know exact figures until it's over. Either way, Claire's going to be busy I think. We'll have both ours and theirs to worry about.”