She awoke with a start. The dream still so vivid she thought for a moment that it was real. Carter had died years ago. So she'd been told. And she'd buried her father only recently which would explain the intense imagery of him in the dream. But, there was no time to think about it now. It was time to go on duty and relieve her executive officer on the bridge.
They'd forced the Earthers finally, after a series of pitched battles, out of their home system. But Earth's warships still lurked nearby and the war continued unabated. Patrols were long, as the defending forces were stretched thin. They'd encountered no enemy ships so far on this patrol and she sensed her crew were eager for battle. Anything to break the monotony of another long patrol through empty space.
“Report!” she said.
“We're in our patrol zone, Captain. Sensors reports no contacts at this time.”
“If this keeps up, we're going to have to find ourselves something to do.”
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“Aye, cer!” The enthusiasm for that idea was unmistakable. She couldn't fault her crew for that. Their training was progressing well and they were learning to function as a unit. Perhaps it was time for a little test.
Then came the break in the monotony that sent a thrill up Tess's spine and probably those of her crew too.
“Conn, sensors, new contact, bearing 317 by 030!” Slightly above and to the left.
“Helm, change course to intercept.”
They crept within range and after identifying the ship as a freighter shipping rare-earth metals – including cerium and lanthanum – to Earth. They fired a spread of torpedoes that were little more than tungsten spikes. Three meter long tungsten spikes, about a hundred millimeters in diameter. There was no need for an explosive warhead. Any object traveling at nearly the speed of light would, upon striking a ship, be vaporized and release many times more energy than a chemical explosive or even a nuclear warhead. The torpedo run lasted about 5 minutes and then came a satisfying report:
“Torpedo impact sir, the ship has been destroyed.”
It's probable the crew of the freighter never knew what hit them.