The Santana Nexus (Junkyard Dogs Book 3) (7 page)

"
Alright, we'll go for Heard's World. We need to check up on what's been happening in that system anyway. Hard telling what's been going..." Kresge was interrupted in mid-sentence.

"Commander?
A ship has just come through the hyperlink point," announced Chief Jenkins who was serving as a communications tech at the console over on the other side of the
Greyhound's
bridge.

"Can you determine who it is?" said Kresge,
as he cleared his display of the food inventory files and switched over to a display that gave a view of a tactical plot for the system.

"Not as yet, but our preliminary information indicates that it
's an Islamic Alliance Destroyer of some kind."

"We'd better inform the
Asimov
, though I'll bet they already know more than we do, with their latest generation sensor equipment. Put me through to them."

"Right away, Commander!"

***

UTFN Reclamation Center, on board Meridian Imperial Diplomatic Ship
Istanbul
, January 2, 2599.

Back in her quarters, Carlisle
scrolled ahead to a later entry in the long-ago Captain's personal log and ran it through the un-encoding software. She waited as the computer did its work. A new entry began to scroll down the display, this one dated June 15. Again, the software output slowed as it encountered what must be another video file. Carlisle waited while the software churned through the translation. A minute later the Captain of the
Instrument of God
looked out at her again and spoke from fifty-some years earlier. He looked different. This time he was wearing a different colored coverall and he looked like he could use some sleep.

"
Captain's Journal, June 15, 2542, Captain Josiah Dobbins reporting. We will be executing a macrojump to the New Ceylon system sometime within the next few hours. My earlier fears were well-founded; it appears as though we are heading into a major battle. Our Monarchist allies believe that they have a decisive advantage in men and in ships for this fight. A diversion in the Patagonian system seems to have worked and the Federation Admirals appear to have committed a serious blunder: they have split their forces. We should have numerical superiority in the New Ceylon system along with the element of surprise. This will not be an easy victory but we and our allies appear to have the upper hand this time around. God willing, our forces will be victorious!"

Carlisle had found entries that corresponded with the beginning stages of the final battle of the Succession War! This entry from Josiah Dobbins contained information that she had never heard of from any source before. According to this account, Admiral Olaf "Stig" Lambert, overall leader of the Federation forces, had been lured into splitting his command in response to an Opposition feint in the Patagonia system. The official Federation spin on this aspect of the battle had always been that Lambert had put a force in Patagonia as a "reserve." Carlisle shook her head. Count on those pompous old fools to cover their behinds!

She
was eagerly preparing to look at the next series of entries when she was interrupted by a communication that came in through her wrist computer.

"Ensign Carlisle, this is Kresge, you need to get up to the bridge
of the
Istanbul
right away."

"On my way, Commander," she said as she reluctantly shut down
the displays and removed the cranial net.

I wonder what the he
ll is going on now
, she thought, as she left her quarters and made her way to the bridge of the diplomatic ship as quickly as she could.

Chapter
10.

"...
Meridian Imperial Navy
El-Nashar
Class destroyer.

Length: 2
30 meters.

Mass:
6,800 metric tons.

Crew: 1
5 officers and 50 crew fully manned, 5 officers and 25 crew minimum.

Propulsion systems:

Reaction Drive: Foucault-Pirone Cesium Ion Drive, Nominal thrust capability 2.1g, Maximum 7g, Emergency 10.1g.

Hyperdrive:
Fifth Generation Pullman-Whitney Overdrive.

Armament:

Main: Four 2000 gigajoule Parkinson capacitor discharge pulse beam projectors (5
th
generation) in fore and aft twin-mount, centerline turrets. Secondary: twelve 5.5 gigajoule Parkinson-Mitsubishi rapid-fire pulse beam projectors in 6 twin mount turrets. External hardpoints to accommodate up to twelve Meridian Hamiyyet or Jasmine Adl guided missiles (these mounts are also often used for transport of external cargo modules containing additional provisions for extended voyages).

This ship type was developed by the Meridian Imperial Navy as a replacement for the
simple, durable but somewhat underpowered
Dagger
class in 2578. The
El-Nashar
has proven to be a solid design and continues to be the mainline destroyer for most of the navies of the Islamic Alliance. "

Hartwell Wrist Comp reference note highlighted for further review by Tamara Carlisle. Excerpt is from "Janes Fighting Ships
" (2598 version).

UTFN Reclamation Center, onboard Federation Auxiliary ship
Greyhound
, January 2, 2599.

"
Greyhound
to
Asimov
, this is Commander Kresge. Do you have information on the ship that just came through the hyperlink point?"

"
Affirmative,
Greyhound
, we have detected an
El-Nashar
Class destroyer, her transponder identifies her as the
MIS
Nasr.
She is listed as a ship in the Meridian Imperial Navy
."

"
A Meridian ship? So we don't know if she's friend or foe?"

"
Affirmative,
Greyhound
. Given the current situation, she could be either
.
Has the
Istanbul
been informed?
"

"
I' m sure they've been keeping a watch of their own. I also instructed Ensign Carlisle to go to
Istanbul's
bridge immediately. She should be there by now."

"
This is
Captain Nassar of the
Istanbul
, Commander. We can confirm that the ship in the hyperlink zone is the
MIS Nasr
. Ensign Carlisle is here and we are monitoring. The Ambassador is on his way to the bridge as we speak."
Nassar paused as he received a communication. "
A moment, Commander, the destroyer is communicating with us. We will patch through to you. Stage one communication coming through from the
Nasr
...now.
"

"
This is
Captain Araman Bishara of the Meridian Imperial Ship
Nasr
calling the United Terran Federation Reclamation Center. Have no fear, we come in peace."

Since the call was to the Reclamation Center
and not to the
Istanbul
, it was Kresge who responded.

"This is Commander Oskar Kresge at the
United Terran Federation Navy Reclamation Center. What can we do for you,
Nasr
?"

Captain Bishara
began making his report.

"
We bring information on recent developments elsewhere in the quadrant
and we have thirty-seven Federation Naval personnel onboard. Some of them are wounded and will require medical care immediately
. W
e come seeking Ambassador Saladin, to offer our services. We have it on good authority that he has taken refuge here
."

"I guess by now that information is no longer confidential
," replied Kresge. "The Ambassador is here and will be joining us shortly. Please continue."

"
We were stationed near the hyperlink point in the Oneida system when the three Jasmine Navy destroyers in our squadron attacked and heavily damaged the
FNS
Larkspur
, a Federation destroyer that had come the system to switch out the crew and reprovision the communications platform. In accordance with interplanetary law, I had no choice but to take the side of the Federation vessel when it was revealed that the other three ships had declared allegiance to the Sheik of Barsoom, a known terrorist. I wish to firmly emphasize that this ship and crew have remained loyal to the legitimate government of Meridian and, as near as we can determine, that currently means we report to Ambassador Saladin
.
With me now is Captain Jennifer Helmsford
of the
FNS Larkspur."

The captain of the
Larkspur
appeared on the viewscreen alongside Bishara.

"Captain Helmsford, here.
We owe a great debt to the captain and crew of the
Nasr
. We were minutes away from being totally destroyed by those three ships when the
Nasr
intervened."

"What is the status of your ship, Captain Helmsford?"
asked Kresge
.

Helmsford looked
as though she had been physically stunned by the question. Her next words came out with visible difficulty.

"
The
Larkspur
was...a total loss, Commander. She was barely holding air when we were forced to abandon her. We were attacked without warning and suffered multiple, devastating, close range pulse beam strikes. The action left us with both batteries destroyed and nearly a third of the crew dead or wounded. Thanks to the
Nasr
, we were able to abandon ship just a few minutes before the reactor went critical. She...couldn't be saved, Sir. There wasn't a lot we could do. We were brutally attacked without warning."

"My condolences on the loss of your ship and for th
e members of your crew who were killed, Captain," said Kresge.

"Thank you, Sir."

There was short silence as all of the parties reacted solemnly to the news of the lost destroyer and her crew.

"
This is Ambassador Saladin
," announced the Ambassador, who had been listening in for the last several minutes. "
My condolences to you as well, Captain Helmsford. The loss of a ship is never easy, even if such a loss is inevitable."

"I thank you for your kind words, Excellency,"
replied Helmsford.

"
And how are you, Captain Bishara?"
the Ambassador continued
.

"
I'm fine, Excellency, but I'm afraid that I bring bad news. This Sheik of Barsoom's forces are gaining strength.
"

"
Bad news indeed
," replied the Ambassador. "
Do you have any other information?
"

"
Some, Excellency, but not very much, I fear. The Sheik's forces are gathering at the Santana Nexus, preparing for some kind of significant activity. We have not yet been able to determine what this activity is. It seems impossible, but we have also heard that they have somehow blocked access to the Sol-Terra hyperlink point."

"We may have more information regarding the hyperlink situation
,"
replied the Ambassador
. "You say you don't have much further information on the situation at the Santana Nexus?"

"
My apologies, Excellency, we do not. We do, however, have several prisoners from those defected ships, one of whom is a bridge officer
."

"A moment, Captain,"
said the Ambassador.

The
personnel on the three ships in the Scrapyard had a brief consultation.

"Do you think it's safe to allow them to come here?" asked Kresge.

"It is impossible to be certain," replied the Ambassador, "but Bishara's father was one of my most trusted officers while we were fighting the uprising on Meridian's moon. I have even met this young man but I confess that I do not know him well."

"I can vouch for Captain Helmsford," said Kingston, who had joined the bridge crew on the
Asimov
. "I've met with her on multiple occasions. She's a fine officer and Federation to the core."

"What do you want to do, Excellency?"
asked Kresge

"I believe it
to be worth the risk to invite them to join us," replied the Ambassador.

"It's your call, Excellency."

The Ambassador concluded the conversation with the
Nasr
.

"
Please
c
ome in to the Reclamation Center, Captain Bishara, we need to talk to you and Captain Helmsford. We'd also like to spend a little time with those prisoners."

"
As you wish, Excellency, we'll be initiating a microjump towards you in the next few minutes
."