Chapter 2
Banorin Confederation science and survey vessel, Treffin, was in trouble. While exploring a likely system with a planet that would only take a small amount of terraforming, their sensors picked up multiple hyper exits. Being a science ship, they had excellent telescopes and visual devices. They quickly trained their largest telescope towards the ships and were stunned.
After running the photos through their ship ID center, it had come back with Ship or ships configuration unknown. The captain ordered the ship ready for departure. Even before the space normal drive had finished coming on line, they detected missile launch.
They went into emergency acceleration and ran for it. It had been a close call, but they reached the point in space where they were able to enter hyper. As they were running, they were getting as much information from their pursuers as possible, and that was an enormous amount of information. Science vessels had capabilities that were unique.
They noticed that they had been followed into hyper space. They had gotten good readings of the space normal drive frequencies and they had read the break out stats from all 5 ships that were now pursuing. They needed help and protection. A science vessel was not up to taking on any military type of vessel. For days and days they ran. So slowly that it took the computers of the ship to measure, they were slowly pulling away. But still the unknowns followed them. Every instrument that could be used to identify and measure the intruders was used.
"Sir? We seem to be developing a slight fluctuation in one of our hyper drive generators. To be exact, generator three is out of sync." Engineer Florence Shelter said.
"Can you do anything about it?" Asked Captain Arnold Billings.
"Not while we are in hyper. We need to shut down hyper drive to make adjustments. I have checked and double checked, and we have stopped pulling away from the intruders. We are holding even right now, but if it gets any worse, we will start to lose ground." The engineer told her captain.
"Ok. Then we need a safe place to exit hyper. One that will afford us protection from our pursuers." The captain pondered. "Let me know if it gets any worse. Captain out."
Once again, the captain pulled up charts on his screen. They would not be able to reach any home world for several more days. If the fluctuation got worse, then they would be over taken and forced out of hyper. The closest world he could get to that might have protection was in the Newcastle Empire. They had been paralleling the Empire for some time now. He hated to do it, but he would have to change course and try for an Empire world. They could protect him, but they would also be somewhat pissed at him, for leading hostiles into their system.
Clan lord Rashva'ss was angry. The strange one had gotten away and was even now fleeing through hyper ahead of them. The only good news was that the forward sensors had detected a slight fluctuation in their hyper drive, and they had stopped pulling away from them. If the great one willed it, the strange one would become further disabled allowing the clan to claim the honor of first in the new expansion of the strange ones territory.
He was contemplating the riches and new slaves he could win by the capture of the strange ones. From the original sensor readings, they were much smaller than his ships. He preened at the thought of his ships. His crest rose unconsciously as he again thought of his three great ships and two sub great ships. Even his sub great ships dwarfed the strange ones size.
In the past, his race had captured and enslaved several other races, as was natural. Only the fastest, toughest and biggest deserved to win. So it was that they, the Shas'vsaz as a race ruled. Great Lord Sassvor would be pleased with the fact that a new race to conquer had been discovered.
He again looked over the data they had on the strange ones ship. It was only 650 meters long, which was much smaller than his ships. No weapons had been used, but it was very fast. They had also been able to detect his ship almost as soon as they had arrived in that system. This was disturbing, as only they had the secret of faster than light communication, and detection. It was an impossible thought that such a race other than theirs would have this ability.
Admiral Sethton was sitting in his day cabin when his door chimed. "Enter." He called out.
"Admiral? Captain Colter is on the com, and says she is picking up multiple hyper tracks entering the system." His aide informed him.
"Thank you. I will take the call in here." Admiral flipped on his desk monitor and shortly Captain Paula Colter was looking back at him.
"Sir. We have incoming hyper tracks. First track will put break out into normal space about here." The scene changed to show a point in space with the Battlesphere represented as a green dot in the center. A red dot was shown at 4 million kilometers north and west of their current position.
"The next group seems to be 5 ships, which is on an almost identical course. They will come out only 600 thousand kilometers behind the first ship. Also, sensors report that the first ship has a slight fluctuation in it's hyper drive. I have changed course to intercept and we will arrive at about the time they exit into normal space. Our exact position will be 500 thousand kilometers off their bow. Do you have any specific instructions you wish to input sir?"
"Not at all captain. Just keep me informed and let me know when we have established communication with the ships in question." Smiled the admiral at the screen. Well well, for a backwater part of the empire, it was being visited by an inordinately large amount of people for some reason. Yes, it was definitely in the interest of the empire to find out what was going on and who was visiting and why.
Captain Billings started to radio for help as soon as they broke out of hyper. He was astonished to find not only was help at hand, but it was help of an unheard of type. He was simply astonished. He quickly beamed all information of the attacking ships stats to the huge ship that had appeared on his screens almost as soon as he made break out.
"Captain, I suggest that you make as much speed as possible, as our sensors show the others will be arriving in about thirty seconds. We will cover you. Head to the third planet of the system and wait for us there. This is HMS Battlesphere, Dragon Rising out."
"What the hell is a Battlesphere?" Asked the astrogator.
"Thats a Battlesphere." The captain said, pointing at the ridiculous read outs that the screen insisted showing under the representation of the Imperial ship.
"Sir! The Battlesphere! It just... disappeared! My god. They can actually stealth something that big?" Exclaimed the navigation officer.
"Something tells me that out pursuers are in for a hard time. Full emergency power to the drive, and put us 10 degrees port of the last known position of that Battlesphere of theirs. Lets give them a good shot if they need it."
Clan lord Rashva'ss was pleased. The fleeing ship was before them and in missile range. He ordered his ships to disperse to attack configuration and as soon as they did, he had each ship fire two chase missiles at the fleeing strange one.
What was not expected was the way his missiles were destroyed shortly after launch!
"Explain what has happened?" The clan lord demanded.
"Lord. Anti missile lasers fired from this area," a technician lit up a portion of the screen showing the star system they were in, "And destroyed the 10 missiles sent after the fleeing strange one."
"Get all information into two drones. Send one out active, and the other under minimal power. I have a bad feeling about this. As soon as you have done this let me know. Prep area fire and I want all ships to fire into the area the beams came from." Commanded the clan lord grimly.
Captain Paula Colter sat in her command chair and coolly received the information that several salvos of missiles were being fired at her ship. She had already deployed the RDP's (remote defense platforms) and they were taking out the missiles almost as fast as the enemy were launching them.
"Commander Felder, lets see if they have a different attitude if they can see us. Let's come out of stealth mode and see what they do. Also, Commander Williams? Send surrender orders to them, all frequencies." Captain Colter said as she calmly sipped a cup of tea.
It was almost comical. The 5 ships that were closing on them suddenly decelerated and changed course to avoid the unavoidable. Minutes went by and still no reply. However the 5 ships were now trying to effect a change in course to get away from the Battlesphere.
"Alright. Weapons are released. You are cleared for offensive missile fire." Captain Colter said.
Ten missile pods detached from the surface of the Battlesphere, and oriented on the fleeing ships. 100 missiles launched from those ten pods and at the ships. The fleeing enemy seeing the launch, turned and started to fire at the incoming missiles with their anti missile defense net.
Missiles died on the way but others got through. Three ships died in nuclear fire quickly. The other two were damaged by near misses, one severely. The largest ship was still fleeing and finally got into hyper just as 5 more missiles had been fired at it.
"My compliments to Colonel Shasta, and tell him the remaining ship is ready for boarding." Captain Colter said quietly. "Ladies and gentleman, my compliments for a job well done."
Clan lord Rashva'ss was stunned. Never had he seen a ship that big or weapons that could take out his missiles that quickly. The damage to his ship, though serious, was manageable. He needed to get to a port to repair the damage to his clans only remaining great ship.
He mourned the loss of his clan brothers. To have his ships
destroyed so quickly! It was unheard of for the clan to lose. The Clan
never lost. But today, it was over powered. To think that something
that big could hide unseen in plain site! Obviously these people had a
technology that had to be understood. Still, if the great clan lord
himself ordered it, even that huge ship could be dealt with. It would
hurt, but to capture that ship would be the culmination of his life!