My vision fades in to a familiar scene. People rushing about, material being loaded, I recognize this as a flight deck aboard a Commonwealth star-navy supercarrier, which lies in the middle of the ships’ bulk. Running the entire 2000 meters of the ship from end to end.
I follow another crew member, the rank insignia indicates a Lieutenant Commander. He speaks to me after we leave the noisy flight deck, which lies in the middle of the ships’ bulk, running the entire 2000 meters of the ship from end to end. “...The captain is not fond of having phantoms aboard, ma’am.”
I nod imperceptibly in consignment. Not all ship command staff were comfortable having Phantoms on board. Especially a telehaptic. “Duly noted, Commander.”
“One more thing, Commander.” He stops midway through the hallway, turning to a door. “Your equipment has been delivered to your quarters. We will be arriving at our rendezvous with the CDFS Thresher in about 4 sol days. The captain kindly asks for you to limit your contact with the ship and flight deck crew.”
Standard for having phantoms aboard, There is stigma about Chimera serving alongside normal, ‘lesser’ human beings.I respond after another slight nod. “Understood.”
With that, the door opens to a briefing room, seated at a table are an admiral, the ship’s captain, and a Commonwealth Central Intelligence Agent. The CCI spook speaks first “Commander, your reputation precedes you.” He offers a shake of his hand.
I scowl at the hand, as if looking at a germ. The spook lowers his hand awkwardly. “Yes, I forgot your uhm.. Adverseness to contact with others.” he clears his throat.
I sit slowly at the table “so, what’s the trouble I’ve been hearing about with the Feddies? And how do I fit in?”
The spook starts the briefing by starting a slideshow on a holoprojector on the center of the table. “Well, we’ve been looking for an opportunity to disrupt their supply lines for months.” The projection shows a few statistics. “Forty percent of their fuel supply goes through one specific terminal, located in the Kupier belt, on a moon tidally locked with a gas giant.” he advanced the presentation to show a photograph of recon done, probably an un-manned probe. “This is based on an estimate of the ship traffic inbound and outbound, and the size of the storage tanks.” Said storage tanks come up on the holoprojector. “Your mission is to destroy these tanks. You are authorized to use any means necessary to get the job done. Make it look like an accident, blow it up with explosives, it doesnt matter.”
I am taking mental notes as the briefing drags on.
The CCI Spook continues prattling on. “Security is heavy, so I highly advise you to be as quiet as you can.”
With an arch of my thin eyebrow, I ask my first question. “And how would you execute the mission?”
He tilts his head at me in confusion. “I am only an analyst, why ask?”
I smile coyly. “You seem to know an awful lot about this facility. So I’m asking you.”
“W-well, uhm…” He thinks a moment. Tapping the hologram, he brings up a layout of the facility. Pointing at relevant points. “There is an intermixing chamber here. If you start some kind of deflagration here, it will ignite the rest of the fuel and cause a deflagration down the lines to the storage tanks..”
I nod. It is a rather clever idea. “I see. What kind of threats can I expect?”
He brings up another layout. “They have guard posts on all entrances, and security blocks on all roads leading up to the facility. There are additional foot patrols around the perimeter, and there is a QRF Force at a firebase about 40 minutes away by vehicle.” He thinks a moment. “Seeing as it is in the midst of a densely populated area, you will have to consider civilian casualties.” he looks at me when I deadpan at him silently, then a coy smile mars my lips. He shudders and hastily adds “Oor not. I know that look.”
After a moment of silence, I ask another question “What is the ROE?”
“Weapons free.”
***
My eyes suddenly open, being jolted awake by a chirp of my mGlass on my bedside stand. I roll over and look at the message on it, then sit up, dragging myself to sit on the edge of the mattress.
The message reads 'Be seeing you, Kara. -F'.
Farsa. I sigh in annoyance at being awoken by a trivial 4-word message. Deciding to stand and go to the CIC to check up on operations.
After changing clothes into a gray tanktop, and a pair of cargo pants, I slip on a pair of combat boots, Before stepping into the elevator lift. "Deck 1." The computer chimes in that Virtual feminine even-tone "Good morning, Captain! Deck 1 it is!".
The doors swish closed, and after a moment of downward inertia the doors open into the CIC. I step out onto the deck and take stock of the room. Galinae is chatting with Vlondril in the corner, B'Nan is poring over some data on a haptic interface nearby, and Crew members busy themselves with the monotony of operating the ship's systems and monitoring sensors. Our coms and sensors stations are empty, so I frown. Eventually, we need to hire a coms and sensors specialist.
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One human male crew member approaches, handing off a datachit. "The ship's weapon manifest, Captain!" I nod at them "Thanks, carry on." The crew member walks away after I gingerly pluck the wafer-thin data storage chip from his fingers.
I slip my mGlass out of my cleavage and plug the chit into the device. Poring over the inventory.
CRAFT:
2x F/A-52C MULTI-ROLE STARFIGHTERS
2x AT-27 TRANSPORT AND UTILITY SHUTTLES
930d OF PROVISIONS
IN COMMANDING OFFICER'S LOCKER:
1x M440B MPR PRECISION RIFLE
1x S-2899 SHOTGUN
1x LEVIATHAN ANTI-MATERIAL RIFLE
1x MK26 PISTOL
IN ARMORY:
2x CHALLENGER SMG
8x M47X1 CARBINE
8x HYDRA PISTOL
VEHICLES:
2x MINOTAUR MBT
2x FENRIR APC
...
it continued down the lines, listing munitions stocks and all standard ship weapons and torpedoes. Until I see one peculiar item, and I furrow an eyebrow. "Hawking Pulsewave Cannon?"
***
I head to the bridge to make a quick inquiry. “B’Nan, can you bring up a readout of all of our shipboard weapon systems?”
The Gravidan tilts his head in perplexion at my request. “I can, Allow me a moment to.. there.”
B’Nan brought up a status display and shunted it over the computer system to my bridge chair’s haptic projector. A display of all shipboard weapon systems and their location on a top-down representation of the ship. He begins reading back what is on the status board. “We have eight torpedo tubes, Six class 4 Magneto Hydrodynamic Cannons, five 12-tube cells for FTL missiles, two of which are loaded with an assortment of different weapons, Multiple torpedo types in our torpedo magazines with five hundred torpedoes total, One of our missile cells has a drone bay installed. The other two are empty. We also have a single Hawking Pulsewave cannon.” I quirked an eyebrow at that last weapon.
“A Hawking pulsewave? Wasn't that banned in the treaty of Sirus?” I look to B’Nan as he turns around in his chair to answer
“Void Star was originally built as a warship, yes. However, since she was supposedly bought out from under the Commonwealth Navy for a princely sum, I believe Farsa added specific modifications to tailor it for the role of a large frigate rather than for a destroyer.”
The treaty of Sirus did ban such weapons and limited others. However, it was only applicable to the Commonwealth and Federation militaries and not to private entities. At the very worst, it was non-tenable upon private citizens, and at the very best it was a recognized albeit technically unenforceable treaty upon non-government entities.
“I wonder how the hell Farsa got that past them.” B’Nan muses.
I reply with an amused, intrigued expression. “I Have no idea, but I will be asking her later.”
17 hours later…
Our cruise to Lagrange 3 lasted for about a day. Upon arrival, I enter the bridge and B’Nan, who is at the left side station beside the helm, pipes up “Captain on the bridge!” I look to the helm with Mister Farham in the seat. “Helm, all stop.” There is a reply “Conn, all stop, helm aye.”
“Report, any ship traffic?” B’Nan hums “Weps reports zero contacts within 10k, conn.” I sigh softly in thought. No traffic is not uncommon out here, “keep me posted. Helm, plot a course for Lagrange four.” Farham started tapping buttons after I finished my order. “Lagrange four, Helm aye.” I glance to a new crew member of ours. they were likely asleep when we left, probably off their shift. She is an Iridian woman with teal hair and blue eyes. “Report.”
The woman jumped, she seemed skittish and was prone to being startled. “Conn! S-s-s-sensors reports all clear! S-sensors aye!” I sigh again in exasperation. “Helm, all ahead standard.”
“All ahead standard, helm aye!” came the reply from the helm station. I watched the black void of space on the roof of the bridge, which gave us a second-to-none view of the exterior of the ship. I ponder as I wait for something to happen. Watching my displays which had a sensor scope on it as well as the ships’ control readout.
The Iridian sensors officer eventually reports on new contacts. “C-conn! Sensors reports two contacts bearing zero two five, Five Niner at 30k!” I watch the 3-dimensional passive sensor display as two lines form from the center dot, which is my ship. The lines represent the bearings of contacts. Both at the bearing given. “Monitor contacts, designate Sierras 1 and 2.” sensors reply to my orders with “T-Track contacts Sierra 1 and 2. S-Sensors aye!” I look to the weapons station “Guns, get me a solution on the two contacts and ready tubes 4 and 2.”
“Ready tubes 4 and 2, weapons aye.” I look to the sensors officer “Contact updates!” she squeaks at my curt tone “S-Sierra one is moving away from Sierra 2 towards the outer solar system!” I hrm.. And the two tracks on my display show two blips moving at different speeds. Sierra two trailing behind Sierra 1. Sensors update me again “Conn! Update on Sierra 1.. Classified by emissions as Gravidan capital ship. Sierra 2 is classified as an Iridian frigate!”
I lift an eyebrow and exchange a glance with B’Nan. “Any idea what is going on?” he shakes his head “no idea. Perhaps it would be best if we tailed the Iridian?” I purse my lips “First we destroy the Gravidan cruiser.”
B’Nan nods “Tubes 2 and 4 are loaded.” he glances to his display “I took the liberty of using the CHT-40 torpedoes.” I smirk at the Gravidan smugly. “Excellent. Prepare to fire when we get within effective range.”