Jethro 3: No Place Like Home (77 page)

“Good. The sooner you're done, the sooner we're on our way,” Renee said with a nod. They were already half way across the system to the next jump point beyond. Another two days and they would be at the jump point.

“And not soon enough for some of us,” Firefly said. She glanced his way. The AI didn't like an empty system either it seemed.

“Remember to leave a satellite in orbit of the star before we go,” the Captain ordered.

“Aye, ma'am. The boat bay is prepping one now, ma'am,” the XO said.

“Good. Glad you're on top of things number one,” Renee said with a rare complimentary smile to her XO. He nodded, seemingly embarrassed by the compliment.

Once they had their fill of the little data in the system, they moved on and then jumped out to New Andres.

---(<=>)---

In New Andres Firefly immediately moved off the jump point after the ship had recovered. As they did they picked up mass readings nearby. A ship was approaching the point. The ship had a radioactive gas giant and the local sun behind her so it was hard to get clear readings.

Leo did determine that the ship was moving at a steady clip, what looked like her best speed to the jump point based on his initial course and mass readings.

“Com, raise them.”

“Trying now, Captain,” Sharif responded.

Renee waited patiently, reminding herself that there would be an eighty-second delay in getting response from the other ship.

“Captain, from her silhouette CIC is tentatively identifying her as a bulk freighter. They are giving us even odds of it being the Kiev 221,” Leo reported. He frowned though; he didn't like going off scant data. He was a precision sort of man.

Renee, however, nodded, glad their chase was finally over or soon would be. “They are certain of the ID? It's not one of the other two ships?”

“Yes, ma’am, as certain as they can be given the local circumstances,” the sensory officer replied with a sniff.

The Captain nodded. “Finally! Put us through.”

The communication's rating looked up from her station with one hand to her ear. “Trying to skipper. She isn't answering the hail.”

The Captain frowned thoughtfully. “If I was trapped in a culd-a-sac system with a potential warship in front of the jump point, I'd be a little leery about replying too,” Firefly said.

“Or it could be interference, sir, from the star.”

“Possibly. They do have civilian equipment.”

“Anything on sensors?”

“Sensor resolution is poor. CIC is trying to clean it up now skipper,” the exec said, sounding distracted.

Mayweather frowned again and then turned to the communication's rating. “Sharif, send them the Admiral's signal. Look up the Captain's name and send that. Hell, put me on if you have to.”

“I'll try the first one, ma'am, and then add them if I don't get a response,” the rating replied with a nod.

“Whatever works. Range?”

“We're about twelve point two million kilometers out. Call it roughly forty-one light seconds.”

“So one-way conversation...closure rate?”

“Call it...a thousand kilometers per second. That is falling, we're getting a return; the ship is slowing.”

“Just picking us up I wonder?”

“Captain, we're getting something,” Sharif said, looking up with her hand to her ear again.

“What?”

“Incoming signal. Radio,” Sharif reported. “Coming from the ship. She's returning our hail as Kiev 221.”

They received a broken contact a few minutes later. The ships were creeping ever closer together. The radio signal itself was odd; the ship could send a whisker laser but chose an antiquated method instead. “The signal is broken up, audio only. We're trying to clean it up, ma'am,” Sharif said, frowning as she concentrated on her instruments.

“Do what you can,” the Captain said with a nod.

“Kiev 221, it is good to see you. You were reported overdue for Pyrax several months ago.”

“Sorry about...worry. We were...engineering... but...covered. Fixed I mean. We're on...way now.”

“Repeat that?” The Captain asked patiently. It took several passes before they got more of the story. Captain Chambers had decided to make a stop at New Andres to see what was available for trade and to refuel since Centennial was no longer available. However, the ship had suffered an engineering casualty when they had arrived in the system and had only recently gotten it fixed.

“Anything we can do to help?”

“No. We've got it covered,” the Kiev answered two minutes later, sounding hasty. Something rang a warning bell in the back of Renee's mind, which had come through crystal clear. Either both ships had managed to clean up their act or something else was going on.

“Okay, well, we have replicators and experienced engineers on board who are practically bored to tears. I can send some over to lend a hand. Maybe do some updates and upgrades while we're at it.”

“No need. We're good,” the voice replied a minute and a half later. Something about the hasty statement again sounded off to the Renee.

The Captain muted the signal and then looked at her exec. “When have you
ever
heard a ship turn down free replicated parts and an experienced engineering crew?”

The XO frowned thoughtfully. He knew where she was going with this, but it was his job to play obstinate devil's advocate to keep her honest. “Well, they may think we'll board them and take them, Captain.”

Renee shook her head. “Not likely. This is Kiev. The Admiral told them about us.”

“Com, can you do a voice print comparison?”

Sharif looked up and shook her head. “No, Captain, we don't have Captain Chamber's voice to compare it to, if that is even him. I doubt it is. He sounds...younger. Nervous.”

“It could be someone new. And we are a warship. They are an unarmed bulk freighter,” the XO reminded them. “I'd be nervous in their shoes too.”

“True,” Renee murmured, crossing her arms and tucking her chin on her fist as she thought.

“Kiev, our primary mission is to locate you and escort you back to Pyrax. We'll come about. Slow your speed and we'll match course for the jump,” Mayweather said.

“No need Firefly, we'll just slow...you...down. We'll get there under our own power. Thank you.”

“My, he sounds testy.”

“Probably doesn't want a babysitter. Though why he wouldn't want protection with pirates about...” The navigator said and then shrugged.

“Captain, their mass readings are way off,” Lieutenant Leo, the sensor officer on watch said.

The exec and Captain turned to his station. “How way off is off are we talking here?” Renee demanded.

The sensor officer didn't look up, just kept staring at his screens. He checked and then rechecked them. “Very. Nearly double what they should be. I compared them to what we have on file which doesn't make any sense.”

“Show me.” Leo pulled up a grainy image of the ship. The two senior officers came over and stood behind him. The mass readings blinked red. A comparison line was next to it. From those readings Kiev was double her baseline mass. “Is this the best we have? Are you sure?”

“I've spent years doing mass readings, Captain,” Leo said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Renee shook her head. “That wasn't an insult. I don't need your life story, just how certain you are of your facts.”

“Very Captain, I've checked it three times.”

“Ah. Spectrographic?”

Leo shook his head. “Very little data with the star behind it. It is washing out the view. Same for our radar, lidar, neutrino, gravitronic, and even visual sensors.”

“Odd. Odd indeed.”

“It's...I was going to say, it's almost intentional. It is an interesting problem, Captain,” Leo said hesitantly.

“For you, yes. I don't like surprises. Do an overlay with the various time chops. Get the computer to combine them if necessary. Power output?”

“We can't get a clear neutrino reading with the star behind them. Same for some of our other advanced sensors skipper.”

“What about an inversion?” The XO suggested.

“I've tried that. I've also tried comparing all our sensor readings to build a 3D profile. But they are keeping the one side to us. Her port side.”

“Which is odd. One side you say?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Very odd, but there could be a reason,” the XO said. “She could have stronger starboard shields.”

“Odd indeed. I've seen a similar trick, but the Xenos pulled it,” Firefly said, interjecting himself into the conversation.

“Oh?” The Captain turned and quirked an eyebrow up to the ship AI's avatar.

“A Trojan horse. The Xeno's used a captured freighter as a mask,” Firefly reported.

The Captain frowned thoughtfully. One finger played with her lip as her mind turned that idea over. She didn't like it or the implications. They could be jumping at shadows, but something just didn't add up. It didn't feel right, and she trusted her gut. “I don't like the sound of that. Boat bay,” the Captain said, opening a communications channel.

“Boat bay, Chief Qui'lay here.”

The Captain sat in her chair and leaned over the pickup. “Chief, rustle up some fighters. I want a pair out ahead of us to give the Kiev a look over. And put a couple up, one outside and another on alert.”

“We have one fighter on alert now, Captain, do you want her to launch?”

“Yes...” Firefly shook his head silently no. She frowned. “No, hold off. Wait. Get them out together,” she said, remembering that they needed to keep their fuel supplies in synch so they would have the same range and flight time if needed.

“Aye, Captain.”

“Taking precautions, skipper?” The XO asked, still standing behind Leo.

“It never pays to be too careful. Besides, they could use the stick and training time.”

The XO nodded. He knew it would be a good precaution, and the Captain was right. Besides, it would keep the lazy louts in the boat bay busy as well. “Aye, Captain.”

---(<=>)---

The ships were set to pass each other about one million kilometers apart. In order to meet up, Kiev 221 would have to slow and Firefly would have to pass the larger ship and then come back around to match her course and speed. The bulk freighter didn't change her speed, however. She did give Firefly and her escorts as wide a berth as possible while staying on course for the jump point.

---(<=>)---

As the two Cobra fighters arched over the side of Kiev the bulk freighter attempted to maneuver to keep both them and Firefly from seeing around her. “Lieutenant, is that what I think it is?” Ensign Ver'c asked just as the ship in the middle opened fire.

“Don't tal;, get the hell out of dodge!” Lieutenant Hang ordered, jinking the weapons fire. The black sky was lighting up with weapons fire his sensors painted on his HUD.

“Firefly, Firefly, this is recon one; there is a Tango on the other side of the Kiev. Repeat, Tango on the other side of the Kiev.” He noted the second ship and swallowed.

“Make that two pair! And they are launching fighters!” He said, flipping his implant link to send the fighter's telemetry to the mother ship. He knew in seconds it would be too hard to talk.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get in closer to pick the launching fighters off before they stabilized. They were at their most vulnerable as they launched; he yearned to get a missile into that damn boat bay, but the weapons fire from what had to be a destroyer was keeping him and Ver'c on the defensive.

---(<=>)---

Firefly put the telemetry feed up on the main plot. The AI dispassionately passed on CIC's update; they tentatively identified the destroyer as a Cutlass class destroyer. Apparently, the warship and another freighter tentatively ID'ed as a Clydesdale had linked to the larger ship in a line abreast, using Kiev's bulk as a mask against Firefly's sensors. With their ploy unmasked all hell broke loose.

“Battle stations!” The XO called. The lighting changed to red.

“She's a Cutlass class destroyer, Captain, a Cutlass and a Clydesdale. Both were attached in line using the bulk freighter as cover,” Leo said. “Sometimes I hate being right,” he muttered softly.

“Chief Steward, we need our skinsuits. XO, you first,” Renee ordered. “Use my wardroom,” she ordered, looking over her shoulder to him.

“Aye, Captain,” the XO said, voice picking up a bit with tension. For him this would be his first taste of combat.

“What you expected?” the Captain asked.

“Not by a long shot, ma'am. But it will do.”

“Goddess of space I hope not. I think a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt before this is all over,” Renee replied with a bleak scowl. She noted the steward coming in with the suits over one arm. She jerked her head to the door to her wardroom. “Go on then.”

“Aye aye, Captain. I'll just be a moment.”

---(<=>)---

The Cutlass launched her own fighters, nine of them, a motley mix of fighter classes and sizes. They tangled with the scouts who went on the defensive since they were so heavily outnumbered. One navy fighter was destroyed in the first seconds of surprise.