Privateer (Complete)

Chapter one

Making a name

All my life I have fought for everything I had, food, clothing, education and finally my position as a space pilot. I shifted the power setting again as the huge barge glided above the third asteroid belt towards the next ore dump, “the second reactor just died Lorenz.”

“What else is new? This bucket of scrap is lucky it can stay in space.”

I glanced at her holograph in my display, “having both and the other half of the gravity generators would be nice when we reach the ore.”

She continued to work, “you are asking the impossible again.”

I smiled, “I can always ask.”

She snorted and sat back, “okay the feed is back online.”

I changed the power settings again, “only half the dead gravity generators are back.”

She moved away, “that will take longer.”

I began slowing and rotating the barge until the waiting ore was above us. We came to a stop and I opened the comm, “Bingo three on site and preparing to load.”

“Copy Bingo three.”

I turned after setting the gravity anchors and opened the ore bays. I switched on the gravity tractor beams to begin pulling the raw ore and crushed rock into the bays. One at a time they filled slowly and I finally closed the outer hatches, “How do the reactors look Lorenz?”

I turned and brought up the long range scans to plot our course back to the station and froze, “Lorenz?”

“I am busy Alex.”

I turned to look at the holograph, “there is a Saint fleet attacking Rodney IV.”

Lorenz stuck her head in the holograph, “What?”

I glanced at the long distance scan, “it looks like a battleship with a couple of cruisers, a half dozen destroyers with a few corvettes.”

She frowned, “What is the Imperial fleet warships doing?”

I snorted, “staying away from the battleship and trying to kill the smaller ships.”

I frowned at a few visible explosions on the planet’s surface, “the battleship is firing kinetic strikes at the planet.”

I turned, “go to your life globe.”

“What are you going to do?”

I brought the reactors online, “I am going to jump the barge into the battleship.”

I looked at her, “once you punch out use the override and go to the station.”

She hissed, “you will only get one jump before the jump engine goes.”

I smiled, “one is all I need. Good luck getting back to the station.”

She nodded and left and I watched until the life globe separated. I started turning the barge before slowly accelerating. It took almost an hour before the barge began to shake with strain. I kept glancing at the scan and saw a couple of destroyers turning towards the barge and smiled, “you are going to be to late.”

I started plotting the jump and armed the pilot ejection pod. I took a deep breath before opening the reactors up all the way and starting the jump engine. The barge screamed as the engine came alive, jumping this deep in a system was not normally done. I looked at all the red flashing lights before locking the plot into the jump computer.

There was several long minutes before the wormhole opened and everything turned inside out. Suddenly the barge was back and impacting into the huge battleship. I slammed my hand down as I was thrown forward against the restraints and the pilot’s seat exploded straight up. The life globe snapped around the seat as it erupted out the escape tube.

I was pinned back but kept my eyes on the globe scan. I slapped the override as the corvette was suddenly in the globe’s path. I dialed up the thrusters as I rotated the globe and then scrambled out of the seat. I closed the evac suit I wore before dumping the air in the globe. I grabbed the gravity tractor gun from the back of the seat and opened the globe and leaped into space.

I fired the gravity anchor at the passing corvette and the gun screamed as it tried to compensate and pull me after the ship. The battleship exploded with hundreds of life globes spreading out. Imperial fleet warships started closing in as they began to engage the other ships. The tractor gun was finally pulling me in and I held on until I reached the corvette.

It had turned to accelerate towards the outer system as I used the inset hull guide holds to pull myself to a airlock. I cycled the airlock to vacuum and waited for the green light before opening the hatch, I closed it after slipping in. I moved to one side where the maintenance controls were and opened the panel. I input a maintenance check cycle and closed the panel as the airlock began pressurizing with oxygen.

I started stripping out of the evac suit as soon as the oxygen levels were high enough. The maintenance cycle would prevent a alarm from going off on the bridge. I pulled the small energy knife I carried and waited before opening the inner hatch. I knew generalities about ships like a corvette, they carried a crew of fifteen to twenty. I turned to head towards engineering as I heard the bridge chatter on the ship speakers.

The ship should have two or three crew in engineering and up to five on the bridge, the rest would be in either a missile position or working damage control. I moved as quietly as possible and peeked into the engineering section. I moved quickly and sliced across an older man’s throat before stabbing into the temple of a younger man. I shut the knife off as I looked around before kneeling to search both men.

I slipped into damage control to see two men watching monitors. I had found a second energy knife and switched both on as I stabbed through the back of each man’s neck and up into their brain. I pulled them away before searching them and leaving. I kill two men each in the three kinetic missile bays and two in the weapons fire control section.

When I stopped outside the bridge the captain was cursing and yelling for his crew to answer. I moved when the crewman walked out and shoved a knife up under his ear as I started walking onto the bridge. The captain spun and opened his mouth but I was already to close and jabbed with a knife. It struck through an eye and into his brain as I continued to move.

I stabbed the scan tech through the spine as he turned and shoved the other knife through the pilot’s throat as he lunged for me. I looked around at the dying men before sitting in the pilot’s chair. I quickly checked everything including leaning over to peek at the long range scan. I turned the ship off the course it was on and headed towards the third asteroid belt.

I looked at the scan again to see the Saint fleet spreading out as they headed out of the system. No Imperial fleet ships were close so I took time to start pulling bodies to an airlock. I came back several times to check our route and the scan before sitting and accessing the ship data core. I knew that if I approached the station in a Saint corvette the automated defenses would fire on me.

I altered the SFT (Ship Frequency Transmitter) and replaced it with a private ID under my name. It was a long two days to the station before I slowed and used thrusters to nudge the corvette into an old disused barge slip. I shut down the bridge before heading to engineering and shutting everything down. Next I went to the airlock and cycled out before starting to hook up the station connections.

I did a check for Lorenz and smiled when I saw she had made it to the station. I went back aboard the corvette and to the captain’s cabin. I washed up and cleaned my clothes before going onto the station. I had to walk a long way before I could use a station tram to the central parts of the station.

When I walked into the company office Mr Ashton looked up and frowned, “about time. You destroyed my ship.”

I nodded, “and if the Saints continued to destroy everything they would have been hitting the stations next.”

He waved, “you are fired.”

I sighed and walked to the desk, “you owe me for a year’s pay.”

He snorted, “I do not think so.”

I leaned over the desk as my hand jabbed out and then I was pulling him across the desk by his throat, “you sorry worm.”

His eyes were wide and his face white as I turned and threw him into the wall, “I will take my pay out of your hide.”

I pulled my knife and turned it on as I took a step. He scrambled up, “wait!”

I reached for his throat, “why?”

He moved sideways towards his cabinet, “I will pay!”

I moved after him as he turned and reached into a drawer. He spun, “I will…”

I caught the wrist that held the elegant plasma pistol and twisted as I sliced across the forearm. He screamed and jerked his arm back as he let the weapon go. He backed away, “I did not…”

I followed as I tucked the pistol into the small of my back and he turned to pull a desk drew open, “your money is in here!”

I touched the energy knife to the back of his neck, “It better be or I am carving a big piece out of you.”

He pulled out several large packets of credit notes, “it is here!”

I took the packets and shut the knife off, “I bet you did not pay Lorenz either did you?”

His lips tightened and I smiled, “I was her ship captain.”

I turned him and shoved him into the back corner. I pulled a couple more packets out and slipped all four into my shirt before I looked at him, “I will be contacting all the other barge pilots and engineers.”

I walked out and headed towards a distant lounge, I did not really know what I was going to do. I did stop to contact Lorenz and give her two of the four packets I had taken. I did not pay attention to the news as I went to my small set of rooms. I had lost a lot of stuff when the barge had been destroyed.

I changed into comfortable station lounge clothes when I reached my small set of rooms. I went to answer the door chime and found an Imperial Captain. He looked me up and down, “Alexander Christian Steel?”

I nodded and he gestured, “may I come in?”

I stepped back, “why not.”

He walked in and looked around, “you have guts. Jumping a barge into a large ship like a battleship could have killed you.”

I shrugged as I went to sit in my chair, “actually I jumped barely short.”

He looked at me, “how would you like to work for the empire?”

I snorted, “like they would ever put me in a pilot seat.”

He sat in the other chair, “My name is Captain Jacob Jennings. I guess you could say I am recruiting privateers.”

I looked at him carefully, “privateers?”

He nodded, “we will have to find a ship and a few more crew but I want you as the ship captain.”

I looked at the screen showing an ocean, “and what do I get out of it?”

He stood, “Imperial rank and privileges.”

I shook my head, “I want colony credit for myself and my crew.”

I stood and walked to the small kitchen, “what type of target did you have in mind for us to go after?”
He followed and nodded when I offered tea, “cargo ships.”

I handed the tea to him as I thought and took a sip of my own. I finally nodded, “you pay us for any ship we take?”

He nodded as he absently sipped his tea and I smiled, “you pay for the ship fuel and maintenance?”

He hesitated before nodding and I set my cup down, “and you give me that in writing.”

He stopped at that and sighed as he shook his head, “that I can not do.”

I grinned, “You are trying this off the books.”

The captain reddened slightly, “yes.”

I walked towards the door and opened it, “just so you know, I already have a corvette.”

He stopped and looked at me carefully before smiling, “a Saint corvette?”

I nodded and he grinned, “just for that I will have the contract with everything you wanted delivered within an hour.”

After he was gone I used the station comm and called Lorenz. She was abrupt when she answered, “Alex?”

I smiled, “How would you like to be the chief engineer on a corvette?”



Chapter two

Our first capture

It had taken a week to get everything I wanted including quality meal packs. I also got and modified prospector hard suits for each of the crew. I had picked the people for the pilot, scan and engineering. The ex fleet crewmen were the exception, they were trained in loading and using the missiles.

I had interviewed each and they were competent and easy to get along with. Captain Jennings was the one to start briefing me and Peter, Lorenz’s spouse and the one I had chosen as my executive officer. There were twenty five systems in the Saint League and most were a good target for us.

I had picked Grindal as our first system. Trying to catch a ship on their jump in was difficult unless you knew where they were from. Captain Jennings had told us that the independent systems had claimed neutrality but they suspected several of providing new technology and supplies.

I grinned at Sonia, our third pilot as I sat in the captain’s chair, “okay Sonia.”

She grinned as she turned and used the thrusters to move us away from the station. She rotated the ship above the plane of the asteroid belt before starting to accelerate. It was a couple of hours before we were above the belt and heading towards the heliopause. I stood and turned towards the bridge hatch, “ship is yours.”

We were running three shifts with the six crewmen from fleet doing the daily shipboard chores in equal shifts. Almost three weeks later we jumped and the universe twisted around us until we emerged a week short of Grindal’s heliopause. I nodded back to Peter and he left with Lorenz as I gestured to the scan tech, “passive only.”

I changed course and reached onto the pilot console to flip the switch that shut the SFT off. I accelerated up to thirty percent which was as fast as we could go and stay off the system scans. It was thirty minutes before the scan tech sat back, “nothing within two weeks of us.”

I nodded, “we have another week before we will be in position.”

We were in position for another week after we arrived before I woke to the general quarters alarm. I rolled out of bed and dressed quickly before walking to the bridge. We were accelerating at max speed after a large cargo transport. I sat and brought up all the section holographs, “weapons.”

Samantha glanced at me, “we have him Alex.”

I nodded, “I want a warning shot detonated ten thousand kilometer in front of them.”

She nodded and a moment later a kinetic missile flashed out and a few moments later it exploded. I opened the comm after reading their SFT, “Greek’s Folly come to a full stop or you will be destroyed.”

The cargo ship began slowing, “We are a neutral system ship.”

I opened the comm, “you are in a hostile system. I will be destroying your ship in ten seconds.”

The ship was suddenly coming to a stop, “We surrender!”

I nodded to Sonia as I stood, “the port airlock.”

I started for the hatch,“Tell Greek’s Folly to abandon ship using their life boats.”

Unlike a life globe that could last a few days, a life boat was a small ship capable of a few weeks in space with a ships crew. When I got to the airlock the exfleet crew, Peter, Andy and Edgar where putting the hard suits on. I striped quickly and joined them and once we were dressed I opened the intercom, “they abandoned ship yet Sonia?”

“Two life boats were jettisoned.”

I moved to the airlock as the inner was closed. I opened it and moved through holding the plasma pistol. After everyone was in the other ship’s airlock I opened the inner and stepped into the ship, “engineering party check for traps and get the reactors and engines online. Andy, Edgar with me, the rest of you clear the ship.”

I headed forward to the bridge, checking everything as I went. I cursed when the console did not respond and opened the comm to the corvette, “Sonia, do you still have the lifeboats on scan?”

“Yes.”

I leaned back in the pilot seat, “use the emergency comm freq. Tell them you are going to put a missile in each boat unless they tell us in the next thirty second what they did to the ship.”

“Standby.”

I moved out of the seat and crawled under the console and stared at the improvised bomb. I pulled the power connectors and then removed the bomb before plugging the power connectors back into the boards, “check under the consoles for bombs.”

We found three on the bridge before Sonia called back, “they left bombs scattered through the ship.”

I used the intercom, “Check under all the consoles that do not have power.”

I looked at the one I had pulled out to see the timer, “we only have a few minutes before they detonate. Make sure someone checks the fuel tanks and the reactors.”

I went to check under the captain’s chair and sighed when it was clear. It was a minute before everyone called back and we started the ship moving. I let Andy take the controls as I headed towards the airlock, “prize crew the ship is yours, everyone else back to the corvette.”

I was the last aboard and closed the airlock hatches on both ships before starting to strip out of the hard suit, “Move us away Sonia and fall back to follow.”

When I walked onto the bridge Tana glanced at me, “we have a dozen destroyers heading this way.”

I nodded as I sat and opened the comm, “Greek’s Folly, jump when you are ready.”

I nodded to Sonia as she started the jump engine. I looked at Lorenz in the chair holograph and she nodded, “everything in the green.”

I checked Sonia’s course before watching as the cargo ship in front of us jumped. It was a minute before we jumped and a life time later we appeared just outside Rodney’s heliopause. I relaxed, “turn on our SFT Sonia.”

I looked at Tana, “go active and find the Greek’s Folly.”

She nodded and grinned, “there was a large gravity disturbance in front of us.”

I nodded but waited until she smiled as she look at me, “scans are clear, Greek’s Folly is maybe an hour ahead.”

I smiled as I stood, “close up the gap Sonia and relay to Peter to switch to the new ship name. Tell everyone they did a great job.”

I went to wash and eat before coming back to relieve Sonia. Peter, Andy and Edgar were standing watch on the cargo ship. I looked at Samantha when she sat at the scan console to relieve Tana, “how are your people?”

She grinned, “ready to celebrate.”

She was looking at the scan and frowned, “we have another ship out here.”

I looked at her, “Gypsy’s Curse?”

That was the name we had changed Greeks Folly to. Samantha changed the scan setting, “she is right in front of us. The other ship is approaching from in front of her.”

I frowned, “do you have an ID or SFT signature?”

She straightened, “damn!”

I waited and she looked at me, “it is a destroyer running with a Saint SFT.”

I hit the general quarters alarm, “get to weapons control.”

She left at a run and moments later Tana ran in with Sonia. I glanced at a holograph display of the weapon fire control as everyone started reporting in, “can we fire on them Samantha?”

She looked at me, “are you crazy? This bucket is just a corvette.”

I smiled, “that is not what I asked. They might not see us behind the cargo ship.”

I could see her thinking before she nodded, “if we hit her by surprise with everything.”

I looked at Lorenz, “I need a micro jump.”

She nodded, “the engine is still warm.”

I started it as I began to plot a jump with Tana reading off range and vectors. I looked at Samantha’s holograph, “fire everything on a zero zero baring to our course at my command.”

She nodded and a second later nodded to me again. The plot count took another few seconds and then everything twisted before we were back in normal space, “Fire!”

Six kinetic missile flashed away and then a second set of six more. I brought the ship to full power as I swerved in a spiral, “get them on scan Tana! Lorenz watch the fluctuations in the reactors.”
Tana yelled, “it is exploding!”

I continued the corkscrew maneuver, “life globes?”

She quieted, “I do not have anything.”

I finally turned and slowed, “status?”

Lorenz grinned at me, “engineering is good.”

Samantha nodded, “Fire control is green.”

David in damage control held up a thumb and I relaxed, “secure from general quarters.”

Sonia cleared her throat, “System Fleet control is demanding to speak to you.”

When the cargo ship caught up we docked and anchored the corvette to an airlock. I went aboard and headed to the captain’s cabin. I found a few items I kept like a matching pair of engraved plasma pistols and a large fancy sonic energy knife. I went to the cargo master’s office and accessed the ship’s cargo manifest before making a system comm call.

With the cargo ship and corvette attached together we had more room. After a crew meeting we drew fuel and fresh water from the cargo ship before shutting the reactors down on the corvette. The cargo ship had more than enough of both and we used it the rest of the way in as Lorenz started a detailed check of the corvette.

Just before we reached the asteroid belt station the corvette separated. We docked in the same disused barge slip and the cargo ship slipped into the one next to us. I slipped out of the pilot seat after shutting down and grinned at Peter moving out of the captain’s chair, “have everyone meet me in the lounge on the fourth tear near your quarters.”

He nodded as I headed towards the airlock and then around to the airlock into the cargo ship. I met Lorenz, Sonia and Tana and told them where to meet. I waited and ten minutes later Captain Jennings arrived with an admiral and two men in suits. I led them in and to the cargo master’s office before letting one of the men sit and start looking through the manifest.

He looked up, “it has not been tampered with.”

The other man nodded and looked at the admiral, “we will buy the cargo.”

I looked Captain Jennings, “what about the ship?”

The admiral smiled, “ship and cargo together Mr Steel.”

I nodded and leaned against the door frame, “and is the fleet going to pay us the colony credits for the destroyer we destroyed too?”

The admiral grinned, “yes.”

Thirty minutes later I was walking into the lounge where my people were waiting. I grinned and started handing out credit vouchers before waving everyone to a seat, “we learned a lot on our first mission. What we need to talk about is what we did wrong…”


Chapter 3

A prefect score

I sat in on a few intelligence briefings and selected a new location. Three weeks later we were ghosting on the heliopause of a major Saint system. Saint Michael was normally a busy system with a full fleet but most had been redeployed. The few warships left in the system were deep in the sun’s gravity well. This was where the Saints research and development was.

I sat in the captain’s seat and smiled at Edgar, “is that new ship closer?”

He grinned and nodded, “I was able to get a real good read too.”

I looked at the smaller scan holograph on the chair display before nodding, “okay Peter.”

I hit general quarters as the ship leaped forward. I watched and it was several moments before the cargo ship started to turn. I looked at the holograph of Samantha, “bracket it.”

She grinned and two kinetic missiles flashed out and a few minutes later exploded on each side of the cargo ship. It was already screaming on the system comm as I opened the channel, “Strange Light come to a stop and prepare to be boarded or the next missiles will destroy your ship.”

I nodded when the ship suddenly slowed and then stopped. I opened the system comm again, “all ship’s crew will go to the starboard lifeboat and remain there. If the lifeboat is launched it will be destroyed.”

“We will do whatever you say.”

I stood and headed towards the starboard airlock where the boarding party was waiting. I suited up quickly as Peter edged the ship closer. When the two ships docked we opened the outer airlock and moved to the other ship. I headed to the bridge as a couple of men went to the starboard lifeboat.

I started making checks as soon as I reached the bridge and finally called Andy in engineering, “bridge is clean.”

He grinned, “so is engineering.”

I let Sonia slip into the pilot seat as I headed to the cargo master’s office. I started the data system and frowned when I saw it erased. I stood and walked out and around to the starboard lifeboat. I looked at the people inside, “who erased the cargo manifest?”

They looked at each other but I saw several looking at one woman. The captain cleared his throat, “we do not have to make it easy for you.”

I smiled, “so you do not want air for your trip insystem.”

They shouted and I looked at the cargo master, “the manifest.”

She glared, “my safe but it is bio locked.”

I gestured and she came out and led the way back to the office. I watched her open the safe and cleared my throat when she started to reach inside. She froze and I gestured with the pistol I was carrying. She stepped back and I moved to the safe. I pulled out the data stick and a slim plasma pistol and looked at her, “back to the life boat.”

I followed her and once she was in I stepped back and closed and sealed the hatch, “I am kicking the life boat free Peter.”

“Copy.”

I hit the override and the ship shuddered as the life boat was jettisoned. I went to scan the data stick and grinned at what I saw, “get this ship moving Sonia.”

“Already under way.”

I headed towards the airlock, “how does the scan look?”

“Clear, the ships insystem are moving but it will be a couple of hours before they clear the gravity well and begin skipping out.”

I waited as the others cycled through with me and closed the inner airlock on our ship, “clear for separation.”

I headed to the bridge and sat before bringing up my displays, “we need to make sure the cargo ship jumps first.”

Peter glanced back, “why?”

I grinned, “they have complete prototype reactors and engines as well as new hyper missiles.”

He grinned as he turned back to his console, “falling back to cover it.”

I opened the comm freq we had agreed to use, “We are following you out Sonia. Jump as soon as you can.”

“Copy.”

It was tense as we kept moving for almost an hour before the cargo ship opened a wormhole and jumped. Peter followed several minutes later and we appeared outside the Rodney system. I watched the displays settle, “status Lorenz?”

“Green.”

I nodded as I stood, “secure from station. Peter change the SFT and tell Sonia to change hers.”

I headed to my cabin and sat to make a call. I woke to the intercom and sat up before hitting the accept key, “yes?”

“Four cruisers are skipping out to escort us in.”

I smiled, “let Sonia know and I will be up to relieve you as soon as I wash.”

I walked onto the bridge and grinned as I tapped Peter, “go get some sleep.”

He moved and I slid into the pilot seat, “status?”
Samantha chuckled, “the cruisers should be here in a few minutes and we have no other traffic.”

I nodded as I checked the systems, “has Sonia been told the cruisers are coming out to escort us?”

Samantha nodded, “they are rotating the watch.”

It was awhile before the cruisers emerged from a skip close by and turned to accelerate towards us, “Corvette Steel this is Imperial cruiser Singleton.”

I opened the channel, “this is captain Steel.”

“We are under orders to escort your cargo ship to the military station in orbit around Rodney three.”

I sat back as I thought, “why a military station?”

I looked at Samantha and she grinned, “ask for new ship rations.”

I smiled and finally shrugged, “Singleton this is captain Steel why change our station?”

There was a long pause as the four ships moved into position, “we do not know but I was told to tell you that your call was routed to the system fleet admiral.”

I nodded, “copy.”

I looked at the holograph of David in engineering, “how is our fuel?”

He looked and held up a thumb, “over sixty percent.”

I nodded and made a note for Peter about refueling and adding missiles to replace the ones we used. I opened the system channel we had agreed to use, “Sonia?”

“Down for a shift.”

I nodded to myself, “change course for the military station around Rodney three.”

“Um…”

I smiled and started talking him through it before closing the channel. I glanced at the controls as I changed course too and began closing with the cargo ship, “we need hands at the port airlock.”

Like before I docked and anchored the corvette to an airlock and we started putting everything on standby. I crossed to the cargo ship and went to the captain’s cabin. I stepped in and looked at detailed Saint warship holographs around the room. I found a few things and then had to use a plasma torch to cut the safe open.

I stared at the red banded classified data disks before gathering them up. I went up to the bridge and sat in the pilot’s chair before checking our heading.