Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1) (63 page)

Maria
smiled as she turned for the door. "Yeah?" she said
playfully. “Y
ou
and what army?" She strolled out without looking back, the door
swishing closed behind her, leaving Jack alone.

■ ■ ■

Jack
sat in the command chair watching the view screen and could feel the
bridge vibrate as
Paul
and Mike's Lancias launched through the tubes. Then he saw the
flares of light as they ignited their engines, appearing from under
the nose of the Freedom. "Freedom, this is Pappy. Flight One is
clear."

Jack
acknowledged him. Scant moments later, the flight tower notified the
bridge,
Flight Two was ready, and Flight Three was standing by. It seemed to
him the flight crews were getting faster at prep and launch.

It
wasn't more than a couple of minutes before Paul and Mike were
able
to see the ships on their Lancia's sensors. "Flight One to
Bridge, you can stand down Flights Two and Three. We have
confirmation, two UFW interceptor patrol vessels."

"Roger
Flight One. Is that Visual?"

"Negative,
sensor only. We'll be in visual range in approximately five
minutes."

"Understood.
Continue standard patrol after visual contact," advised
Jack.
He decided to keep the other flights on standby until after Paul's
visual confirmation of identification. The next five minutes passed
slowly. But it passed... finally. "Flight One, identity
confirmed, proceeding on patrol route."

Jack
acknowledged and called a stand down for the other flights. A
short
time later, the
Commander
of one of the patrol vessels hailed the Freedom as the two vessels
slowed and staggered their formation in a defensive tactic. "Hello,
Commander," began Jack politely. He stood between the helmsman
and Ragnaar at the Nav station. "What can I do for you?"
The face of the UFW officer appeared on the view screen, he did not
look trusting. His skin was blanched and drawn in a perpetual scowl.

"Identify
yourself," he said bluntly.

"His
shields are up..." whispered Raulya.

Jack
moved his hand behind his back to indicate he'd heard her. He
hoped
Paul and Mike hadn't gone too far. "I'm Captain Jack Steele.
This is the cruiser Freedom, Raider Class. Our home world is Earth
and we are allied with the UFW."

"Stand
by." The screen went blank while the Commander consulted with
his
crew and the other patrol ship. The screen winked back on. "We
can find no records on your ship. And as far as your origin, Earth
has no space travel capabilities to my knowledge."

"We
do now," countered Jack.

"What
is your mission, your purpose..." inquired the patrol vessel
Commander
.

"Right
now," began Jack, "we are heading for parts and repair,
then
home."

"You're
headed the wrong way my friend." The Commander sneered like
he'd
caught Jack in a lie. "Beyond us is pirate territory." The
three ships came to a stop, facing off miles apart. "So why
don't you tell me what you're
really
doing out here? And why is your ship so well armed?"

"Well
gee, I heard there were pirates out here..." said Jack,
sarcastically.
“As I said before, this is a Raider Class cruiser, the guns
kinda come standard on this model...” Jack could see where
this was going and motioned behind his back to cut communications.
Petty Officer Stacell caught the signal and ended the connection.
"Thank you, Stacell." He turned to Raulya. "Call the
tower..."

"You
can't launch," she interrupted, "he'll read the power
surges
of
the launch equipment on his sensors. He could gun us to pieces
before I could bring up our shields."

"I
know..." he snapped.
"Have Brian, Derrik, LaNareef and Walrick, taxi and launch out
the bay door, engines off. Have them wait there." He turned
back to Stacell, "Ok." The screen winked back on. "I'm
sorry, Captain. Where were we?"

"You
were about to tell me, you are a pirate heading for pirate
territory
in a pirated ship." His sneer was back. "And that you
surrender so I don't have to blow you out of existence."

"He's
powering up weapons," whispered Raulya. Jack acknowledged
again
with a discreet hand movement.

Jack
shook his head. "Untrue, Commander, untrue. We took this vessel
from
the pirates who took it from
you
the UFW. This vessel was originally the Ynosa and we simply stole it
from the thieves. So, by the interspace law of
finders
keepers
we have confiscated it for ourselves."

"Finders
keepers..?" The puzzled Commander glanced off screen for an
explanation from his crew. There was none.

"Right,"
confirmed Jack, "while aboard the Princess Hedonist. In fact,
if you contact Captain Gantarro, he can confirm this..."

"Did
you say the Princess Hedonist?"

"Yes.
Why? Do you know Gantarro?" Ragnaar reached back and tapped
Jack on the leg, out of view of the other Captain. He pointed to his
sensor screen. Jack could casually glance at it without being
noticed. It showed the second patrol vessel swinging wide in an
attack posture.

"Mr.
Steele, the Princess Hedonist was attacked and disappeared about two
days ago. Its fate is unknown." Jack could feel the heat rise
in his face as he hazarded a quick glance in Raulya's direction. Her
eyes were wide with astonishment. "About the same time, a
Royal Velorian freighter was attacked and destroyed back in the
direction you're coming from. There was quite a battle. The
freighter must have done well. But by the
time
our cruisers got there, it was over. Only a crippled pirate carrier
was left." Jack was still in shock about the Princess Hedonist
and did not answer. "I'll just bet if I searched your vessel,
I'd find either equipment or prisoners from one of those ships,
wouldn't I?"

"Whoa,
hold on a minute!" exclaimed Jack. "You got some good
facts there, but they're in the wrong order! Not to mention missing
a few vital pieces..."

"I
think not," claimed the other, with a face somewhere between a
sneer and a scowl. "I have a man in space from a world which
hasn't the technology, in a ship that is not his own, knowledge of a
ship that has since disappeared, and coming from where another has
been destroyed. Now I see no signs of physical damage, but my
sensors tell me your ship is operating well below its standards...
did we over exert ourselves in combat? Blow a few systems?" He
shook his head, "No Captain, I think I have plenty..."

Jack
kept telling himself this man was just doing his job. "Look,
Captain, I can appreciate how all these circumstances coincide, and
that's just what they are, coincidental... But we can clear all this
up if you'll contact the UFW Directorate on Tanzia. That's where our
wings and ranks were issued from..."

"Do
you think I would really waste their time on the word of a pirate?
Do you think me a fool?"

Well
yeah
,
thought Jack,
actually
moron might be more accurate
.

The
Commander waved his hand to dismiss the thought. "No, Mr.
Steele, we will wait here. The cruisers I summoned will be here
shortly, and their Marines will board and take over your ship. Your
pirating career is over."

Jack
was seriously beginning to lose his patience. This man had appointed
himself both judge and jury, convicted him and was about to pass
sentence. "Look, Commander..."

"Mr.
Steele," Jack noticed the man no longer addressed him as
Captain. "I hope you won't do anything foolish, because I will
not hesitate to destroy you. We would prefer you and your crew
alive, so we might interrogate you." He grinned wickedly.
"Besides, it would look better on the citation I will receive
for this..." His grin faded. "But I must warn you, ANY
actions on your part, we will consider hostile." He frowned
again and the screen winked off abruptly.

"We're
on the
same
side, you ass
!"
Growled Jack at the blank screen. "What a moron." Stepping
over to his command chair, Jack keyed the comm to engineering.
"Trigoss, I'm gonna' need every bit of speed you can muster in
a couple of minutes."

"I'll
give you what I got..." came the answer.

"No
more mister nice guy," growled Jack, "I'm not playin'
their stupid game, they want to fuck around? Fine! Let's see if they
can play with the
big
dogs!
Tower, silent signal protocol. Alert Flights Two and Three, they
will split and attack on the outer flanks on my order." The
tower acknowledged. Neither Paul or Mike were visible on any of the
sensors, but Jack had to believe they were not far off and had
somehow found an obvious place to hide. "Raulya, shields up on
my command, not before, Ok?"

"But,
sir..."

Jack
held up his hand to cut her off. "They're gonna' have plenty to
think
about. Hitting us is going to be the least of their concerns."
He palmed the red button on his console and the alarm klaxons blared
their
Red
Alert
warning. Jack was betting a multitude of instant actions at once
would confuse the crews in the patrol ships, stalling their
reactions long enough to gain the upper hand. He didn't want to have
to destroy them, just run them off or damage them enough to be able
to effect an escape. He wasn't about to delude himself or the crew,
that surrender was a viable or safe solution.

"Forward
guns manned, Captain," reported Raulya.

Jack
nodded and thumbed the mic on his headset. "All flights
TALLY
HO
!"
Four white trails arced around the rear of the Freedom and headed
for the flanks of the patrol vessels. Jack spun on his heel.
"Shields up Raulya!" He switched the comm channel.
"Trigoss, full reverse,
Now
!
All guns,
fire
at will!
Make em count!"

The
patrol vessels crabbed sideways to divide the Freedom's firepower
and move to her more vulnerable flanks. But they didn't count on
Mike and Paul, who after passing earlier, had come around and
coasted up behind them, engines off. Masked by the energy wakes of
the patrol ships, the two fighters went undetected.

Extremely
maneuverable, the UFW patrol vessels attempted to circle around the
lethargic cruiser like a boxer looking for an opening. Had it not
been for the fighters, it would have been a short match. Determined
and unwilling to back off, the Commanders of the UFW ships took
their licks and hung in there. Their heavy guns took a quick toll on
the inadequate shields of the Freedom and kept the fighters
maneuvering defensively.

"Forward
shields at sixty-five percent," shouted Raulya. The ship
shuddered under another blow. "Port mid shields down to
fifty-five percent and port quarter to thirty-five percent!"

Jack
keyed his mic. "All ahead
FULL
Chief!" The ship lurched a moment later as the main thrust
burners ignited.

"Sir!"
Shouted Stacell, "I just intercepted a message. There are two
UFW liberator-class cruisers on their way. They're about thirty
minutes out!"

Jack
wondered if it could get any worse. The Freedom took another blow
along the bow and shuddered. “Forward shields sixty percent
and holding, port stern down to fifteen percent!" The patrol
craft crossing the Freedom's bow, disappeared in giant chunks as the
Freedom’s port, main gun battery blew huge holes in its hull.
Constant hammering from the fighters had depleted its shields. A
quick cheer rolled across the bridge. "Most forward gun
batteries
have exhausted their energy pods," reported Raulya.