The Santana Nexus (Junkyard Dogs Book 3) (20 page)

She gave them both a look of mock exasperation but she
wanted so badly to be part of this mission that she wasn’t about to do anything that would make the Commander change his mind.

"
I promise I'll be on my best behavior," she said finally.

"
Good," said Kresge, "Although based on past experience, I'm not sure what that means exactly. Get your people together and get moving! Dismissed!"

Chapter
30.

"...United Terran Federation Navy Fletcher II-Class Destroyer.

Length:
275 meters.

Mass:
9,800 metric tons.

Crew: 1
5 officers and 52crew fully manned, 5 officers and 25 crew minimum.

Propulsion systems:

Reaction Drive: General Electric Cesium Ion Drive, 4th generation, Nominal thrust capability 3.1g, Maximum 10g, Emergency 12.1g.

Hyperdrive:
Sixth Generation Pullman-Whitney Overdrive equipped with Dyson graviton damper.

Armament:

Main: Four 2000 gigajoule Parkinson capacitor discharge pulse beam projectors (7
th
generation) in fore and aft twin-mount, centerline turrets. Main batteries equipped with overrides allowing for temporary overload operation providing an extreme rapid fire mode for periods of up to sixty seconds.

Secondary:
twelve 5.5 gigajoule Parkinson-Mitsubishi rapid-fire pulse beam projectors in 6 twin mount turrets.

External hardpoints to accommodate up to eight Keppler-Salaiz Vengence or Harrison Hellhound 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
United Terran Federation Navy to be the most powerful destroyers ever developed up to that time. The main batteries are more powerful than those of any other destroyer type and the shielding is also more robust. At the current time, this ship type has no equal in any other Navy. Though not yet proven in battle, it appears to be a superior design and has become the mainline destroyer for United Terran Federation Navy... "

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

Heard's World Star system hyperlink point, January 8, 2599.

The
Asimov
flashed into the Whitney hyperlink point in the Heard's World system. Two minutes later, the
Dingo
translated through as well. After recovering from their hyperjump disorientation, the bridge crew on the
Asimov
immediately began a scan of the system using the ship's state of the art sensor suite.

Captain Shirleen Nesbitt was in command of the
Asimov
. Nesbitt's actual rank was Lieutenant but she had been the highest ranking officer onboard when the
Asimov
had made her escape from the Santana Nexus and, in spite of her relative inexperience, Admiral Kingston had appointed her Captain of the ship. The ship's previous commanding officer, Commander Barbara Zeluski, had been on the Nexus Station when the terrorist attacks occurred and was believed to have been one of the Federation casualties. Nesbitt rated the title "Captain" by virtue of being in command of the ship. Carlisle's fellow Spacer
and
Asimov's
acting tactical officer, Massa Sukamoto, was also at his station on the bridge.

Clancy Davis-Moore, owner and operator of the
Dingo,
was in command of the freighter. Chief Kelly of the Federation Marines was onboard the
Dingo
along with six of his fellow marines. In addition to seven sets of the latest battle armor, they had brought one of the Scrapyard's 5.5 megajoule assault cannons with them. If the mission required people on the ground, this weapon might really come in handy. If the ships needed to split up, Kelly and his men would be able to provide a least limited protection for the freighter. Kelly was on the bridge of the
Dingo
with Clancy Davis-Moore as the two ships came into the system. Caleb Jordan was also with them on the bridge. In addition to being a top-notch weapons technician, Caleb was a native of Heard's World and, due to recent events, was the reigning expert in the Quadrant on the Veritian Derelict.

"What have we got, Sensors?" asked Nesbitt from the command chair in the center of the
Asimov's
bridge. The
Asimov
was one of the most modern ships in the Federation Navy and her sensor suite was absolutely state of the art.

"Checking now, Sir,"

"Open a channel to the
Dingo
, please," said Nesbitt.

"Channel open," said the radio operator.

"Caleb Jordan? Are you there?"

"Right here, Captain,"

"What can you tell me about this system?"

"Heard's World is the third planet out from the star,"
replied Jordan,
"There's an orbital communications platform near the planet that was abandoned by her crew last time we were here. I don't know if there is anyone back onboard yet or not. The fifth planet out is a gas giant. The ninth moon out from the gas giant is where the abandoned cruiser is."

"What sort of weapons remain salvageable on that wreck," asked Nesbitt.

"Two projectors from the main battery on the wreck still looked to be intact the last time I was there."

"Captain Nesbitt?" said Sukamoto, "Sensors has
two contacts, Sir."

"Hold on a second, Caleb," said Nesbitt, "Go ahead, Sensors."

"There is a small communications platform orbiting the third planet and there is one ship... looks to be a freighter."

"Where are they?" asked the Captain.

"The freighter is stationary near a small moon orbiting the gas giant. 

"Captain, Nesbitt?"
said Kelly, from the
Dingo
. "
I wonder if that freighter is there to salvage weapons from that wreck so the enemy can arm a couple more ships?"

"Maybe so,
Chief," replied Nesbitt. "The main battery projectors on that wreck are still pretty powerful, even by modern standards. A merchant armed with one of those guns would be a very effective commerce raider against unarmed ships. If that's the case, it looks as though they haven't wasted any time."

Nesbitt thought through several options.

"We were going to visit that wreck after we got supplies loaded but it looks like maybe we'd better go check it out now," she said, "
Dingo
? Let's program a microjump towards the gas giant."

"Right away, Captain Nesbitt,"
radioed Davis-Moore.

Five minutes later the two ships microjumped towards the
gas giant. After giving each of their crews a short time to reorient after the jump, they continued towards their destination using their reaction drives.

The
Asimov's
sensor operator was attempting to get more information on the unknown freighter when two more ships suddenly came arcing out from behind the moon and headed straight for the
Asimov
and the
Dingo
. They had apparently been able to remain invisible to
Asimov's
instruments by hiding in the sensor shadow of the moon.

"I have two more ships, Captain," said the sensor operator. "Attempting to get bearings now...Omigod! I'm detecting weapons fire!"

As if on cue, a pulse beam bolt, attenuated to near harmlessness by the extreme distance, flashed past the two Federation ships several kilometers overhead. The enemy was too far away for them to do much damage to either the
Dingo
or the
Asimov
but any question about whether their intentions were hostile or not had just been answered.

"Was that a warning shot or an overeager gunner?" asked Sukamoto of no one in particular.

"It's a trap!" shouted Nesbitt. "Shields up! Battle stations everyone! I repeat! All hands to battle stations!"

Alarms began to sound all over the ship.

The shields on the destroyer were at full strength within the next thirty seconds and all hands were at battle stations within another thirty seconds after that. Nesbitt was staring intently at her command display, trying to decide what to do next.

First things first.

"
Dingo
? That was a pulse beam bolt! Assume we are under attack! Get your shields up and then do your best to put me between you and those two ships!"

Nesbitt issued more orders to her crew.
"Helm? Bring us around so that we're facing those ships. Do I have weapons?"

"All weapons charged and ready!"
came the reply.

The two ships continued to approach but were not firing their weapons any more...at least not for the time being."

"Your assessment, Ensign Sukamoto?" asked Captain Nesbitt, her eyes still intent on her command console.

"I agree, Captain," replied the Ensign, "this is an ambush. They almost had to have been waiting for us. That freighter
is the bait. Sensors? Can you tell what kind of ships they are?"

"One moment, Sir," said the sensor operator, his inexperience showing through as he nervously fumbled with his keyboard while he surveyed his instruments. "They are...almost certainly something military...," he replied,"...not big enough to be destroyers...additional information on unknown ships coming through...now, Captain!"

"Go ahead, sensors,"

"It looks like a pair of
Jasmine Republican Navy gunboats, sir...they look to be Shafra class."

"Armament?"

"Coming up now sir...here it is. Shafra's carry a pair of five hundred gigajoule pulse beam projectors in a twin mount forward turret. Secondary armament is six five point five gigajoule projectors in three twin-mount turrets."

"Certainly no match for us, then?"

"Not in a stand-up fight slogging it out with pulse beams, Captain," said Sukamoto, "but that gunboat type can also be armed with anti-ship missiles!"

"Are these ships so
equipped?"

"Impossible to tell until they arm them, Sir," replied Sukamoto. "Our point defenses should be able to handle a missile attack, if they're carrying them, but we should approach them with extreme caution. If they are carrying missiles, and they can get in close...it could make for a very bad day for us."

"Duly noted, Ensign."

Nesbitt cupped her chin in her hand as she took in the information and considered her options. Two military ships, even these two smaller vessels, complicated her mission
considerably. She didn't dare split up with the
Dingo,
the freighter would be a sitting duck against even one of those ships without
Asimov
's protection. In fact, in what appeared might develop into a fire fight, the
Dingo
was one big fat liability. Unless...

"
Dingo?
"

"What is it, Captain Nesbitt?"

"You need to jump back towards the hyperlink point to New Ceylon. You have a fast ship and with a head start you should be able to jump out of the system before either of them gets to you if we can't handle these two ships.

"I think I understand, Captain,"
replied Clancy Davis-Moore,
"We are to microjump back towards the New Ceylon system immediately, go to maximum thrust and be ready to jump out of this system if
Asimov...
can't handle this current situation?"

"Affirmative,
Dingo
. Those two ships will be within the effective range of their weapons sometime in the next few minutes. Before they get here, I want you to get your jump module charged up get the hell out of here!"

"We can certainly do that, Captain,"
said Davis-Moore,
"What are you going to do?"

"We're gonna fight these sons of bitches!" said Nesbitt. "They're standing between us and our food supplies. Besides, I'm getting damned sick of running!"

"We'll be waiting,"
replied Davis-Moore,
"I don't have to tell you be careful!"

Clancy Davis-Moore wore a frown as he terminated the communication. The
Asimov
was a state of the art ship but she was under the command of a brand-new, inexperienced Captain. Many of the crew members were highly trained and extremely competent but, with the exception of Kelly and his Marines and Davis-Moore himself, no one else on either of the ships or in either crew had any combat experience. For all he knew, these two enemy ships might be no better off. Much more likely, in view of all of the Sheik of Barsoom's military activities of late, was that they were seasoned veterans. That and there were two of them. A well-coordinated attack by a team of ships, even if they were inferior on paper, could prove to be...interesting."

As Clancy watched the displays from the bridge of the
Dingo
, he instructed his pilot to bring the Whitney jump module online and microjump back towards the hyperlink zone. He also instructed the crew to bring shields to full power. The
Dingo's
shields were some of the most robust available on a non-military ship but he still didn't want to take any chances. The enemy's pulse beams probably weren't powerful enough to do much damage to the destroyer, at least not just an isolated strike or two but any kind of pulse beam strike, even at extreme distance, was best avoided by his freighter.