Pirate attack





Excerpt of "Adventures of a Greenie "

The part where Roy's parents are attacked by Pirates"

(Chapter15)

Martha had not forgotten about Roy or Green Hell or anything like that but standing here on the bridge of a Union Explorer Ship with the finest lab and science equipment the combines cultures of the Union could come up with and with 1800 top notch scientists all under her direct command was more than just a little intoxicating. While there was a captain and he was in charge of the actual ship operations, she was the Expedition leader and unless the ship was in mortal peril she was in charge of it all.

Captain Ritzh was a massive Petharian and she secretly wondered to find one of these warrior brutes as the commanding officer of a Union explorer of all things.

The four armed Petharian had welcomed her as she and Paul came aboard, but hasn't said much to her since.

The layout of a Union Explorer bridge was different from a regular ship of the fleet. It had no tactical and no security station. The ship was almost unarmed and shields and ship security was handled by the OPS position. There was only Helm, Navigation and Ops. These three Ship operations stations where grouped around the Command Chair and called the Ship Ops Island. Before it was the seat of the Mission Ops Commander, her seat and twelve different Science stations.

Paul and her had left Green Hell twelve days ago and boarded the UES Zheng He, an 800 meter sphere with large ISAH pods. Purpose builds for its scientific mission and not a decommissioned repurposed Fleet ship as some other Explorers were. The Zengh He lifted off from Harper's Junction and was on its way to a planet in the Downward Sector of the Galaxy, far beyond Union borders in space that was almost completely unexplored.

The reason for the expedition was a life form that existed inside active volcanoes and if the initial reports were true, bathed in magma. Now as curious this was, it alone was not the reason to mount a second expedition to a world so far away, but the Union Fleet Mission report was certain the life form was sentient and eager for contact.

Her mission was to establish contact and find a way to communicate with the Volcano beings if they were indeed sentient and then should they wish it establish a permanent research base on Planet Pele. Of course all this was the official reason for the expedition, but she also received a sealed set of orders as to find out if the Lava beings are the same beings as the legendary Children of the Deep, or if they knew about them and their origin.

While she was thinking about this legendary menace, very few even knew about. Paul Masters came onto the bridge. He was officially her second in command and while it all seemed a good idea back on Green Hell when she was offered the posting, the recent events had opened her eyes that her husband was a nice person and a brilliant researcher but also a big coward. Her new perception had extinguished the last real feelings she had for that man. Now she still liked Paul and she would not divorce him or anything like that, but she would never be close to him again. He had lost her respect as he left her standing at Sam Brown's ranch and put his own safety over the needs of his son and wife.

He was very happy as it seemed and did not know or suspect anything had changed. While they were on their way to that distant planet, a journey that would take almost two years he had no real task as he was a Micro Biologist and his expertise would be needed only if they found microorganisms at Pele, but he had the run of a fine micro biology lab and was conducting experiments and observations on a colony of Green Hell Mites, he had brought along.

Dr. Aaabee, another Biologist was currently manning the Life sensor station and Paul went over to him and they began to talk. Martha watched it for a moment with little interest and was about to return to her thoughts about her mission, when the Petharian Captain got up from his seat and said. "OPS we are about to enter the strip and I want more eyes on the sensors."

Even though the voice of the Petharian sounded like if someone chewed a mouthful of rocks she was almost certain there was hint of concern in it as well. So she turned. "We are still in Union space right?"

He looked at her from his six bright yellow slanted eyes and then said. "Technically only for another ten light years. The strip is a thin region of space between Union and Kermac Space; it is sort of a buffer zone, not really claimed by side, no planets or star systems in it, but by us using it we shorten our trip by almost 5000 light years."

Paul seemed to remember that he was second in command and came over. "Aren't you supposed to discuss any Course changes with us?"

The Petharian actually laughed. "Mr. Masters, there wasn't a course change. We going across the strip is part of the course plan filed with Science Central." He used one of his four arms and pointed to the 3D Nav tank behind him and said. "Go ahead Mr. Masters show us our current position or point out any Nav marks we changed."

The Nav Tank was a three dimensional representation of Real Space showing the entire quadrant and every contact within sensor range along with transponder data, Nav markers and comm points. A trained person could get a wealth of information from looking at it; to Paul it was a confusing mass of colorful dots, moving lines and data symbols. He glared at the Captain knowing he was just scolded and insulted before everyone.

Martha felt a little sorry for him and said. "Are there any…"

Whatever else she wanted to say was drowned by the sudden wailing of sirens and then she was lifted off her feet by and invisible fist. Something had hit the ship hard.

The Captain plopped into his seat. Someone yelled, "We have been pulled out of Quasi Space."

Someone else screamed. "We're under attack."

-""—

Thanks to the course and flight plans the Green Snake and her crew knew exactly when the Explorer Cruiser would be here.

The Ship was known as the Green Snake; Captain Coldblood commanding her was feared and known as a ruthless pirate. That he was sponsored by the Kermac was a careful kept secret, not even his crew knew about. Taking on a Union Explorer ship was actually a number too big for even him, and he knew it would stir up the Union Hornets like nothing else, but he had his orders and there were two Kermac T Cruisers hiding in the only star system in the strip, to assist him.

His orders were to be the face of the attack, so if the Explorer used it's cursed faster than light Communication to call for help, the Union would blame pirates and not the Kermac.

His gunner turned. "The Package pulled her out of Quasi and disabled her shields but she is still under full power…"

"Don't squawk your Frutni, Singe her helpless! I want those scientists aboard the sooner the better."

Captain Coldblood didn't feel all too cool and confident. All intelligence confirmed that there was no Union Fleet ship close by, a large Kermac Maneuver was keeping the Union Fleet attention a thousand light years away, but that didn't mean he wanted to stick around when a Union Destroyer or even a Battleship responded to the certain help calls of the Explorer.

He could not understand why his superiors were risking so much, just to get a few Union Scientists. Everyone in the Galaxy knew it was better to leave Union Explorers alone. Nothing really made them angrier than attacking one of their "unarmed peaceful explorers", perhaps with the exception of firing on one of their hospital ships the union supposedly had.

Thanks to their intelligence they knew when the Explorer would be here and they set a trap. Ten Kermac Gravo Mines, set in dual configuration. Both the gravo mines and the technique of using them in tandem were directly copied from the Nul. The only technique known that could disrupt those excellent Union Shields, long enough to bring weapons to bear.

He heard his Scanner operator curse and say. "Damn they are flying directly into the rest of the Mines! "

Cooldblood could not stop it; no human reaction was fast enough. The last volley of Ship to ship missiles and FTL Blasts of his ships weapons were already on their way, and the Union ship hit more mines before he could send the deactivation command.

The Union Ship was tough but the simultaneous explosion of several Gravo Mines and the impact of the shots triggered some sort of cataclysm. The entire lower half of the ship was instantly vaporized in a violent explosion, leaving only a fragmented piece of scrap and of the other half. The Union explorer ship Zeng He was destroyed! Their plan to board her and abduct her crew of scientists was a mute one now, nothing could have survived that.

His Scanner operator tried to pick up life signs but then shook his head. "Nothing is alive out there Captain."

-""—