The Clones of Mawcett (35 page)

It only took seconds to catch the Tsgardi vessel and pass it. Powerful beams of coherent light from the Prometheus' phased laser arrays blasted the Tsgardi's temporal field generator to pieces before the ship could slip into FTL speed. Loss of their temporal generator made escape impossible, but the Tsgardi captain still refused to yield. He turned his ship to starboard and accelerated away in n space while the Prometheus altered course to again intercept.

Gavin made two more attempts to hail them before giving the order to fire at their engines. The laser gunners carefully targeted the engines, but the ship swerved at the last second, causing the one set of pulses to impact the hull instead. As large areas of the Tsgardi ship depressurized through gaping holes ripped in the fabric of her titanium skin, the Boshdyte's Sub-Light engines shut down and the Prometheus moved up alongside.

“I can't believe they continued to evade after we destroyed their envelope generator,” Captain Gavin said, shaking his head slightly. “They didn't have a chance of getting away. Com, notify flight operations to send out our armed boarding parties and fighters. The shuttles must have adequate cover. Get me an update of any damage from Damage Control Central. Tactical, turn on all exterior lights.”

“I guess they preferred death over incarceration,” Jenetta said sadly.

Captain Kanes arrived on the bridge as the small craft were being launched. Moving over next to Jenetta, he asked what was going on. Jenetta gave him a quick briefing as they watched the view-screen.

The powerful exterior lights of the Prometheus brilliantly illuminated the Boshdyte, casting harsh shadows wherever they first stuck some exterior protuberance such as engine nacelles. The lack of atmosphere insured that effects of diffusion and refraction that redirected light and softened its consequence on a planet were missing. The large monitor on the bridge showed the shuttles as they moved towards the stricken ship, with the fighters circling to respond to any resistance from the Tsgardi ship. The mission of the shuttle crews was to board the Boshdyte to check for prisoners or survivors. They would proceed through the entire ship, deck by deck and compartment by compartment, looking for areas that might still be pressurized.

“They actually thought they could evade a GSC battleship with their temporal envelope generator shot to pieces?” Kanes said, shaking his head.

“Tsgardi have never been renowned for their intelligence,” Jenetta said. “Perhaps the captain felt we wouldn't really fire on them, sir, to ensure we didn't harm any prisoners. Or perhaps he just couldn't cope with the idea of a lifetime of confinement.”

The dozen fighters continued to moving slowly around the Boshdyte, seemingly daring anyone on the ship to open fire, but the Boshdyte's guns remained silent as two E.V.A. suited engineers left a shuttle and moved to an airlock near the Boshdyte's flight bay. The engineering crew was able to open a flight bay door and two shuttles moved inside.

The bridge crew went about their normal business, with one eye on the front monitor, as Marines checked the Boshdyte from bow to stern. The front view-screen became a patchwork of small images as the feed from the helmet camera on the point man in each group was received. The search teams reported in as they completed each frame section and deck. After thirty minutes, with half the ship searched, they hadn't found anyone alive. Corridors filled with salvage slowed their progress, and wearing the E.V.A. suits further slowed them. Finally, after an hour of tension aboard the Prometheus' bridge, the report came in that there weren't any pressurized sections remaining aboard the Boshdyte. Apparently all airtight doors were open during the flight, so the entire ship depressurized quickly, leaving the passageways littered with the misshapen bodies of crewmen who died struggling to fill their lungs with air just one more time while trying unsuccessfully to pull on E.V.A suits or find usable emergency oxygen canisters. Doors that tried to seal automatically against the loss of atmosphere, were prevented from closing by years of accumulated garbage in the tracks.

Jenetta, off-duty since GQ was cancelled, walked sadly to her quarters after the search ended. It had been her decision to send Christa off on the deadly mission. Christa would have been safe if they had just stayed forted up inside the facility. Of course, they couldn't know that the facility door would hold, or how long the Raiders would have stayed if Jenetta hadn't been able to get a distress call out, but there are always self-recriminations when someone under your command perishes.

The_Clones_of_Mawcett

Chapter Seventeen

~ October 3rd, 2270 ~

“I'm sad to announce that all aboard the Boshdyte perished as a result of the hull depressurization,” Gavin said to the senior bridge staff in his briefing room. “The hull is composed of just two layers of standard titanium plating so our hundred-gigawatt lasers made short work of it. Although the damage occurred while targeting the power systems, our gunners are not at fault. Rather, the decision of the Tsgardi captain to take flight is responsible. Since its power systems remain intact, I intend to patch the holes in the Boshdyte's hull and add the ship to our task force. How about it, Commander Carver? Would you like to take command and get the ship operational?”

Jenetta, still despondent over the situation with Christa, had been brooding in her quarters until the meeting was called. “Yes sir,” she said immediately. “I'll do what I can.”

“Captain,” LaSalle said, “as first officer I should be offered the opportunity to command the Boshdyte.”

Gavin looked at LaSalle for a few seconds. “You're correct, Commander. As first officer you should have the right of first refusal. I didn't think that it was the kind of duty you would embrace. Are you asking for the assignment?”

LaSalle breathed deeply once and said, during the exhale, “Yes sir, I am.”

“Very well, Commander. You have it. You'll take charge of seeing that the ship is repaired and made ready to join our forces.”

“Yes sir.”

“Jen, you'll take over as acting first officer during LaSalle's absence.”

LaSalle looked sharply at Carver and ground her teeth. Even when she managed to snatch an opportunity away from the overeager Lt. Commander, Carver wouldn't be denied. Now Carver would have the Captain's ear until LaSalle returned from the assignment. And since the Boshdyte wasn't a Space Command warship, LaSalle would further be denied the privilege of wearing the highly coveted pip on her collar. She should have let Carver have the assignment after all. At least she would have been off the Prometheus.

 “Aye, sir,” Jenetta said. “Sir, how do we respond to any ships that may happen across us while we're making repairs to the Boshdyte?”

“Treat them the same. Jam the IDS band and seize the ship. Under no circumstances should they be allowed to escape to contact other Raider ships or bases.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Anything else?” the Captain asked. “Anyone? Then dismissed.”

LaSalle proceeded directly to her quarters to pack her bags. Engineers had already begun work on the Boshdyte's exterior plating. LaSalle could transfer to her new command as soon as the hull was pressurized.

* * *

As Jenetta temporarily moved to XO and second watch commander aboard the Prometheus, Lt. Commander Kittridge, the ship's third officer, moved from first watch bridge officer to third watch commander. LaSalle had departed to assume command of the Boshdyte while engineers worked to replace the damaged interior plates, ensuring hull integrity so that the ship would be capable of achieving and maintaining Light-187 when the temporal field generator was replaced. A massive and grisly cleanup effort was taking place aboard the ship as the bodies of the dead Tsgardi crewman were collected and laid out in a cargo hold so they could be identified and processed. Most were not in Space Command files, so their images were recorded, as well as their elbow prints, and DNA samples were taken of each before they were prepared for burial in space. The few Terran crewmen that were found aboard were treated similarly. When all bodies had been collected, LaSalle called the Prometheus. It was late afternoon and Jenetta had arrived for her watch, but Gavin hadn't left yet.

“Yes, Commander?” Gavin said to LaSalle.

“Captain, we've processed all the bodies but there aren't any Terran women among them.”

“Has the brig been checked?”

“Yes sir. All three cells were empty.”

Jenetta brightened immediately. There was a chance that Christa was alive. But what had happened to her? Had the Tsgardi already transferred her to another Raider ship before the encounter? Or had they slain her and ejected her body into space. No, she was too valuable for that. The Raiders wanted her alive. Of course, she could have been killed in an escape attempt.

“Have you compared the bodies against the crew rolls?” Captain Gavin asked.

“Yes sir, all are accounted for, including the captain.”

“Have you checked the sickbay?”

LaSalle looked down at her portable viewpad. “Yes sir, that was checked. The doctor was found there, and one other dead Tsgardi, listed as a crewman with severe head trauma.”

“Very well, Commander. How are repairs proceeding?”

“The hull repairs are almost complete, and we should be able to get underway today. We've loaded all the bodies into the cargo container they stole from Mawcett and we're set to eject it towards the nearest star. We've also cleaned all the door tracks so the doors will close during GQ or in the event of another atmosphere loss.”

“Very good, Commander. Prometheus out.”

“Boshdyte out.”

Gavin turned to Jenetta and said, “In my briefing room, Jen.”

The Captain's large and lavishly decorated office, located on the larboard side of the bridge, was arguably one of the most sumptuous briefing rooms in the fleet, appropriate for one of the best ships in the fleet. It was equipped with a wooden desk seemingly large enough to land a space tug on. An 'oh-gee' chair covered in deliciously-soft dark brown leather floated in front of a SimWindow behind the desk, and two overstuffed chairs faced the desk. Additionally, a long, comfortable looking sofa, finished in the same soft brown leather used for the chairs, sat patiently waiting for occupants against one wall. The walls themselves were paneled with real oak, finished in a light honey color, not the synthetic product that only simulated wood, and the light brown wall-to-wall carpet felt like it was ten centimeters thick. Of course, the Chiron, another Prometheus class battleship, was similarly outfitted.

“Make yourself a mug of coffee, if you wish, then have a seat,” the captain said as they entered his office and he headed for his chair behind the desk.

Jenetta walked to the beverage synthesizer, placed a mug from the rack beside the unit into the opening, and ordered a steaming mug of Colombian. The unit filled her mug to within three centimeters of the top as the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee assailed her nostrils. Sliding the mug from the dispenser, she moved to the desk and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs facing the captain.

“I'm interested in your take on things,” he said. “What do you think happened to your sister?”

“We know that she was on board that ship when it was in orbit over Mawcett, sir, and it's unlikely that the ship made any side trips to take her someplace else. Did you notice the reaction of the captain when he saw me? He turned to look behind him. I'd order another complete search of the ship. It should be easier now that it's been re-pressurized. I think the searchers should pay extra close attention to the shuttles, fighters, stasis chambers, and escape pods. Each of them offers a pressurized haven during an attack.”

“Okay, Jen, I'll order another complete sweep.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jenetta took a sip from her coffee mug and asked, “Uh, do you have any plans for the Boshdyte?”

“I'd just intended to use it to bolster our forces here. Why, do you have an idea?”

“Yes sir, I do. Captain Kanes made a comment to me last week about wishing we'd been able to plant conventional explosives in the port, as I was able to do with Raider-One, so that we could blow a hole in the asteroid without risk of destroying the entire asteroid.”

“As I recall, you did destroy the entire asteroid that housed Raider-One,” he said, chuckling.

“Uh, yes sir, but I hadn't counted on the explosion being as powerful as it was. I was only attempting to create a diversion. Anyway, I was thinking that we could fill the nose of the Boshdyte with explosives, disable the ACS and all safeties, and aim it at the asteroid's doors. The pilot could then bring it up to Sub-Light-1 or so, and abandon ship.”

“Use it as sort of a battering ram, eh?”

“Yes sir, exactly. Once underway it would be virtually impossible for the laser cannon gunners on the asteroid to stop it. With the safeties disabled, depressurization won't shut down the Sub-Light engines. And with no one on board, there won't be any danger to our people. Barring an exceptionally lucky shot by the asteroid's laser gunners, the ship won't stop until it impacts the doors. At Raider-One we were able to blow the doors off with torpedoes, but we had the advantage of being inside. The doors are obviously more susceptible to an inside force pushing outward, than the reverse, and we had the additional benefit of a more enclosed space because the doors are located at the end of a tunnel. While our torpedoes may not be able to provide sufficient force to push open those doors, the kinetic force provided by the mass of the Boshdyte should plow through like a meteor pushing through a planet's atmosphere.”

Captain Gavin grinned. “I like it. The ship is of little use anyway except to make our task force appear a little larger. I'd hesitate to use it in combat with its poor hull protection; everyone would have to be wearing EVA suits. So its only real use would be as a prison barge if we succeed in taking any prisoners. I'm going to approve your plan. I'll have LaSalle transfer back here.”

“Uh, sir, I think that she should be allowed to have her first command for as long as possible. Why not let her stay until it's time to send the ship off on its own? I estimate that won't be for at least several days. Perhaps even a week or more,” Jenetta added optimistically.

The Captain gave Jenetta a sideways glance, with a knowing look and slight smile. “I've noticed that you two don't seem to have hit it off too well.”

Jenetta took another sip from her mug before responding. “We get along, sir.”

“I realize that you don't openly butt heads, but you're not friends.”

“I've made every effort to be just as friendly with Commander LaSalle as she has tried to be with me, sir.”

The Captain stared at Jenetta intently. “LaSalle's a good officer, Jen, with a fine record.”

“Yes sir, I know that. She wouldn't have been appointed as our first officer if that wasn't the case.”

“But you don't like her?”

“I— don't know her, sir.”

“That's an evasion, Jen. You've served together for a year.”

“Nine months of actual service together, sir. I've tried not to give her any reason to dislike me, and I've never been insubordinate. No disrespect intended, sir, but I've noticed that you never call her by her first name. You only use her rank and surname.”

Captain Gavin blinked a couple of times and looked away, surprised by Jenetta's observation. He hadn't realized that his own feelings toward LaSalle had been that obvious, but he knew that his second officer didn't miss very much. He didn't miss very much either, so returning his gaze to Jenetta, he verbalized an observation of his own. “It's occurred to me that you have an amazing number of officers on third watch who have sufficient seniority to rate second watch. In fact, all of them were on second watch when we left Mars.”

“Third watch is a little more relaxed, sir, with so much of the ship's crew complement in quarters.”

Captain Gavin just smiled and nodded. “You're dismissed, Commander.”

“Yes sir.” Jenetta picked up her mug of coffee and left the briefing room, then settled comfortably into the first officer's chair on the bridge.

A few hours later, Jenetta received a report that the Boshdyte had been searched again, with emphasis placed on stasis chambers, shuttles, fighter ships, and escape pods. No survivors, or additional bodies, had been found.