Book 3 Chapter 4
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2
GSS Hunter
Leaving Earth orbit
4146.8.1 Galactic
Several weeks after arriving at Armstrong shipyards, the GSS Hunter was finally able to maneuver under its own power. Gears piloted the ship from his usual seat in the pilot’s seat, scanning the horseshoe shape created by the five screens feeding him information about the ship’s systems. His ocular implants whirred in the quiet of the flight deck as they shifted in and out to enhance his view of various quadrants of the screens.
Beside the pilot, Nick sat in the copilot’s seat, sipping coffee from a mug he’d brought with him from the galley. He’d fully recovered from his wounds incurred on their last mission. Gears had wanted to make this routine test run solo but Nick insisted on coming along. There was never anything he would describe as routine when it involved Blaster Squad. “What do you think, Gears?”
“Hmmm…well, Captain, the repairs are okay but the new attitude flight propulsion jets are not the best. They react sluggishly.” He snorted derisively. “You know what engineers are like, they always have to improve things. But improvements are not always the way to go, especially because they so often forget to ask the end users what they need or want.”
Suddenly his voice became tense. “Sir, sensors report there is a ship five thousand kilometers off our port side that’s going to intersect our projected flight path.”
Nick took a sip of the warm, milky coffee and swallowed. He wasn’t concerned.
With all the surveillance drones and automated warning buoys scattered around Earth’s solar system, the odds of a collision with another vessel were so low as to be microscopic. Regardless, Gears would avoid any contact with the other ship.
“I’ll check their transponder,” he said in a sleepy voice. He was going to retire to his quarters soon for a short nap before Gears returned them to the shipyard. The brilliant tech genius would no doubt have extensive notes for the repair engineers and he didn’t want to be regaled with all the technical details. All I need is a tall ship and a sea to sail her in, he mused.
Nick hadn’t bothered to turn on any of the screens at the copilot’s workstation before leaving the shipyard, so he first had to turn them on by pressing the flat red button on the console. The four screens flickered to life. He lifted his mug to his lips to take another sip as the transponder information of the approaching vessel appeared as a list on the screen to his right.
He swallowed before speaking. “It’s a spice trader from Takdon III. According to its flight plan, they’re carrying a load of white, red, and black pepper destined for the Asian Commonwealth on Earth.”
“Okay, boss, if you say so, but why are they charging six blaster cannon batteries on their hull and increasing speed?”
Nick coughed and his heart rate increased. “Impossible. Spice traders carry minimal weapons.”
“I suspect, sir, this spice trader is not a spice trader.”
“Gears, evasive maneuvers. Set course back to the shipyard.” Nick hadn’t bothered to put on his seat straps since this was to be a short systems test flight, not a firefight. He slipped the seat belt straps over his shoulders, clipped the ends into the slots at his sides, then pulled the straps snug. “I’ll signal the navy to request backup.”
He was glad he’d gotten the straps secured when the Hunter began to shimmy as Gears made an aggressive course change, firing the steering rockets along the left side of the ship’s hull simultaneously. G forces pressed Nick hard against the left side of the seat and a change in gravity made his stomach heave. He threw his mug to the deck, where it bounced, shooting his remaining coffee into the air, then fell on its side and skittered away until it struck a bulkhead and stopped.
Nick opened the emergency naval channel by pressing a digital button along the bottom of the screen to his left. He had to hold his breath and force his fingers to move to the left, but he managed to reach and press the button anyway. “GSS Hunter to Alliance Navy. We are under attack by unknown intruder disguising their transponder as a spice trader. Requesting immediate assistance.”
Silence. Nick tried again with the same result. He sucked in some air and his stomach muscles tightened. They had just fixed the Hunter and he’d be dammed if some unknown ship was going to blow it apart.
“Gears,” he said between gritted teeth. “Ready on weapons and shields?”
“Of course, sir,” replied Gears, an edge of unrestrained glee in his tone.
Nick smiled to himself. Whoever was trying to stop them had someone on the inside. The sudden appearance of this warship confirmed what he had suspected.
Back at the shipyard after Gears told him the weapons and shields were repaired on the Hunter, Nick had instructed the tech genius to omit the repairs from his daily progress report to the yardmaster. Evidently, whoever was behind this attack had access to those reports.
When Gears filed the flight plan for the systems flight test, Nick had thought the traitor might see an opportunity to put the Hunter, and them, out of action permanently.
“Are the new shields as good as you said they are?” Gears nodded. “And the weapons?”
Gears glanced to his side at Nick in the copilot’s seat. “Better. Sir.”
Nick offered his friend a sardonic grin. “Well, then, whoever this is is gonna get more than they bargained for.”
- Writer
