The Last Praetorian (10 page)

Adjusting the aft sensors to reduce their sensitivity and
avoid any more ‘phantom’ contacts Jon reviewed the remaining time and course to
Transcendence
.  Studying the display carefully for a few minutes he made
some minor course corrections that would take the
‘Light
on a slightly
more elliptical course, this would add another twenty minutes to the journey
time but would also pass within a few hundred kilometres of an asteroid belt
that existed at the edge of the Heliopause; the technical edge of the system
before the depths of interstellar space.  While the phantom sensor contact was
more than likely caused by the particles given off by the system’s main
sequence star, Jon had not managed to stay alive this long without taking some
precautions.  The asteroid belt would make excellent cover if it became
necessary.

*****

Miranda was roused from her internal contemplation by the alert
of the targeting scanner to notify her that the target had altered course
slightly.  Bringing up the navigational computer, she input the new heading and
speed and reviewed their projected course.  Their destination was still
Transcendence
Station but the new course would take them on a longer orbital insertion adding
another twenty minutes to the journey time.  For the twelfth time during this
mission she silently asked herself if the ship that she was covertly following
had detected her.  However, as usual, the sensors could detect no change in
energy emissions, speed or any communications that might indicate that her
target had detected her and was trying to evade or call for assistance.

Perhaps he is just early for his meeting and wanted to
take a more scenic route?
Miranda mused to herself with a smirk.  Anyway it
was going to be the last decision that he ever made.  Double-checking the
navigational computer and ship’s sensors, she confirmed that they were far
enough away from
Terra Nova
not to be detected and that there were no
other ships in the vicinity to observe this execution; and that is what this
was going to be.  Miranda was under no illusion. Flying a heavily armed
Hawk
fighter equipped with multiple (and highly illegal) weapon systems and missiles,
the unarmed shuttle a few hundred kilometres ahead was a sitting duck. Her
employers had insisted however, that this was to be done immediately and with
no witnesses. They did not want any evidence left behind.  Cursing one final
time that she would have to destroy such a beautiful ship, she tightened the
straps securing her in the cockpit and triggered the engines to full thrust so
that it would bring her weapon systems quickly into range.  

*****

The wail from the aft sensors was the only split second
warning that Jon had about the imminent threat before the weapons from the
enemy craft cut across his view.  The split second was more than enough time
for Jon, and with quick reflex’s he sharply banked the
‘Light
to
starboard and kicked full power to the engines.  In an instant he was pushed
back hard into his seat from the sudden acceleration of the ship.

Miranda blinked her eyes in disbelief, as the attack run
that she had done dozens of times previously that had always resulted in the
destruction or at least heavy damage to the target ship passed cleanly through
the area of space that the shuttle should have been in.  However, instead the
shuttle was banking hard and diving away from her ship with an incredible level
of acceleration that should not have been possible for a ship of that size. 
She had never seen such manoeuvrability and acceleration outside of a dedicated
fighter craft, yet here was an old shuttle that was easily matching her
acceleration.

“An old and expensive courier ship, nothing more!  My ass!”
exclaimed Miranda, cursing Mallart as she pushed her engines to maximum and
beyond, simply to try and gain on the shuttle that had quickly accelerated to
what Miranda hoped was its maximum speed.  She cursed again when she glanced at
her navigational computer and saw that they were both now rapidly approaching
the asteroid field.  If she managed to let her target get among the asteroids
this simple assignment was going to get a lot more complicated…  While still at
the maximum range of her guns she sighted on the shuttle ahead and let loose
another volley of weaponry...         

*****

While continuing to manoeuvre the
‘Light
in what he
hoped was a pattern that was going to upset his attackers aim, Jon was still
somewhat constrained by the need to keep the
‘Light
on a course to get
among the asteroids as quick as possible.  Hence, while he was able to avoid
most of the incoming fire he still winced as a number of bolts hit the thick
external armour.  Luckily the weapons fire was at its maximum range, therefore
most of the energy from the bolts had dissipated before they had impacted on
the
‘Light
, still the damage was still significant enough that a few
more well-placed shots were going to cause severe damage.  Jon glanced down to
check the distance to the asteroid field, still thirty seconds away at this
velocity…

Too long!
Jon thought, swinging the
‘Light
back around to put the ship on a collision course with the enemy fighter… 

Due to the tremendous velocities that the two ships were
travelling at Miranda only had an instant to realise that the shuttle had now
changed course and was coming directly at her!  Wrenching the flight controls
sharply her fighter managed to dodge out of the way of the incoming shuttle
with only an instant to spare!  However, she only had an instant to catch her
breath before the aft sensors reported that the shuttle was dropping into a
pursuit course behind her!

“This is nuts!” Miranda exclaimed, “I am dogfighting with a
shuttle!” She quickly executed a hard bank to the right and pushed the fighter
into a steep dive.  Sparing a quick glance behind, she noticed that the shuttle
adjusted course to match the manoeuvre a few seconds later, but the shuttle
went slightly wide of her turn before adjusting to compensate.  The manoeuvre
demonstrated two things to Miranda.  First that her initial impression of Jon
Radec based on his file was incorrect, he was indeed an arrogant, overconfident
bastard, but damn was he a superb pilot!  Second that while the shuttle had
amazing, indeed unbelievable acceleration, its manoeuvrability could not match
her smaller more agile fighter.

Armed with this knowledge Miranda put her small fighter into
a number of gut wrenching turns that she knew the shuttle behind would be
unable to match.  With a confident smile she checked her aft sensors and indeed
confirmed that the shuttle was no longer on her tail, she had managed to shake
him loose!  Her confident smile however quickly turned to snarl of anger when
her sensors finally picked up the shuttle.  Her ‘prey’ had not even attempted
to match her dramatic manoeuvres but instead had used the time to dash for the
cover of the asteroid field.

“Shit!”  Miranda cursed when her navigational and targeting
display confirmed her fears that she would be unable to get within range of her
guns before the shuttle made it to the cover of the asteroid field.  Sighing,
as her superiors would be extremely angry at what they viewed as the
unnecessary additional expense she flicked her weapons systems from guns to
missiles; within a fraction of a second the solid tone from her weapons systems
reported that the missiles had a firm lock on the shuttle.  With two quick
depresses on her firing stud she launched two missiles at the retreating
shuttle!

*****

“Fuck!” Jon swore as his threat display system lit up like
the sky at night, detecting the launch of the two missiles, and the targeting
scanner highlighted the two incoming projectiles, bracketing them in red and
flashing warnings against the incoming threats as if Jon was not already aware
of the extreme danger that they posed to the
Eternal Light
.

Leaning forward Jon switched the ship’s ECM system from
‘Passive’ to ‘Active’; the ship’s Electronic Counter Measures in passive mode
listened for all electronic systems, communications or sensors in surrounding
space and displayed them, however in active mode the system broadcast a huge
deluge of electronic ‘noise’ on all bandwidths into surrounding space. This was
designed to interfere and disrupt any electronics in ships…or missiles near to
the
Eternal Light
.

With space surrounding the
Eternal Light
now
blanketed by ‘noise’ on the entire electromagnetic spectrum, the two missiles
that had been closely targeting the ship suddenly found it far harder to ‘see’
the ship though all the interference.  The missile that was furthest away from
the ship lost its target completely and went harmlessly spinning off into space
on completely the wrong trajectory.  However, the second missile that was
closer had a stronger lock on the target, and managed to continue on-target
aiming for the rapidly closing shuttle.

Meanwhile on the
Eternal Light
Jon was monitoring the
progress of the two rapidly closing missiles, relieved to see that one lost its
track but the other was still closing fast!  Quickly calculating the distance
to the asteroid field and the estimated impact time of the missile, he was
disappointed to determine that the missile was going to impact the
Eternal
Light
several seconds before he reached the cover of the asteroid field… 
With a hiss of frustration and a quick prayer to whichever God might be
listening he brought the ships limited point defence systems on-line.

Point defence systems or PDS as they are commonly referred
to had not changed significantly over the past 600 years since they had been
first invented.  They all worked on the simple principle of targeting the
incoming object – be it missile, torpedo, ship and keeping shooting at it as
quickly and as long as possible.  One of two things would happen next, either
the PDS would destroy the incoming object or it would get blown to hell along
with the rest of the ship when the target hit the ship.  The PDS system on the
Eternal
Light
was much smaller and less capable than those found on larger warships
but worked on exactly the same principle.  Two small hatches near the aft of
the ship, one on the dorsal, the other on the ventral, to give a 360-degree
field of fire, slid smoothly open to reveal the concealed guns.  Both guns slid
forward on their mounts into their armed positions and spun around to target
the incoming missile.  Having achieved a lock they simultaneously opened fire.

Scientists and engineers had been working on the concept of
space-based weaponry since the early days of spaceflight.  Human initiative
works on the principle of ‘How do I travel through space?’  Closely followed by
the thought of ‘How do I shoot somebody else who is trying to travel through
my
part of space?’  Guns would not work in space as the propellant would require
oxygen to combust and hence push the shell down the barrel.  Hence the earliest
space base weaponry was based on the concept of a Rail Gun.  This simple
weapon, invented late in the 20
^th
century used electro-magnets to
accelerate and propel a projectile out of the barrel.  The two point defence
guns on the
Eternal Light
worked in much the same way as these early
weapons but approximately a hundred times quicker.  While the first space based
Rail Guns could fire one round, usually solid depleted uranium, per second. 
The guns on the Eternal Light could fire almost one hundred rounds per second. 
As these were propelled by electro-magnets and fired from space: where heat
dissipation was really, really good it could keep firing until it ran out of
ammunition.  Which the guns promptly did 4.8 seconds later…         

*****

Miranda watched in open mouth disbelief as the shuttle sent
the first missile spinning uselessly out into the void followed a few seconds
later by the complete destruction of her second missile.  “No way!”  She
cursed, “No fucking way!” As she watched the shuttle slip into the quickly
approaching asteroid field ahead.  With a roar of anger she kicked the fighter
into full thrust and followed the shuttle into the asteroid field, at far too
high a speed for any sort of safe navigation of the field.

*****

What followed for the next ten minutes was a dangerous game
of cat and mouse among the asteroid belt, the
Eternal Light
used them
for cover to the best of its ability; while Miranda constantly cursed that she
was unable to get a good shot or a target long enough for her remaining
missiles to get a target lock. 

Meanwhile Jon had long since come to the conclusion that he
had a problem, a serious problem.  The pilot in the pursuit craft was good,
very good.  Not as good as him… but almost.  His slight advantage in piloting
skills however, was completely offset by their respective ships.  While the
Eternal
Light
had been heavily upgraded and no shuttle could match her, not even
the old navy heavy assault craft, she was still a shuttle, while behind was a
heavily armed fighter designed for speed and manoeuvrability.  The only reason
that he and the
Eternal Light
were still in one piece was the cover
given by the asteroids.  While he had to be lucky every single time, it was
only going to take one lucky shot or a missile.  His point defence guns were
now out of ammunition, and he was going to be smeared across one of these
asteroids.  He needed a plan and he needed one quickly!   

Deciding that he only had one shot at this, Jon started slowly
to reduce velocity to close the gap between himself and the fighter already
close on his tail.  He then activated his own weapon systems on the
Eternal
Light
.  A small part of him had hoped that his opponent would just decide
to call it a day and retreat.  However, as time went by and the shots got
closer and the armour more and more damaged, he came to the conclusion that the
other ship was not going to withdraw and it was going to be his life or the
other’s.  Therefore it was with no regret that Jon armed the concealed missile
and waited for confirmation from the targeting computer of a lock.  Once the
computer confirmed a solid lock Jon reduced velocity even further praying that
the armour would hold up just a few seconds longer.  Finally when the enemy
ship was almost on top of the
‘Light,
Jon hit the launch control to
release the missile and put the ship in a steep dive.