Location - orbital asteroid belt, sector R4D79, quadrant 2
Vessel: Unregistered salvage
Captain (Unofficial) - Jack Soto
Current activity - Enroute to arranged rendezevous point.
....
The ship was moving slow, the asteroid field was dense and didnt allow for a ship of this size to gain any significant momentum without the risk of colliding into something along the way.
Jack knew that the others didnt have much time left, so he was going as fast as the ship's systems would allow him in the situation, but even so, it was very slow.
...
About an hour later...
Beep... beep... beep... The sensors have picked something up.
Jack jumped across the bridge to the station and looked through the readings, something big was ahead.
Heat radiation and energy readings skyrocketed out of nowhere.
Then...
Beep... Beep... Beep... The radio station went crazy right after. Jack left the sensors and went to look at the radio and sure enough, he couldnt get a thing out of it.
All he could make out was strong static and some unpleasantly high pitched tones every now and then.
This was a result of jamming. Flooding of the comunication waves with signals so strong and loud that they drown out anything else.
Whoever was causing this wanted to keep any signals from being received.
In Jack's mind that could only mean one thing, danger!
Jack couldnt afford to lose this ship right after he got it, not here and not now, when there were people depending on him to be where he is supposed to be.
He walked over to the sensors and started searching for the source of the jamming.
It wasnt hard, it was like turning your head around until you were looking in a direction of a loudspeaker with loud and obnoxious music.
When he got the direction of the source he froze, the souce was in the same direction as the arranged rendezevous point.
Two options rose up in his mind.
1. A fight has broken out between some pirates and patrol ships. Which was the less probable one, considering how low the piracy and in contrast how tight the security in this star system was.
2. The group was ambushed. The more probable one, considering the circumstances.
If it were option 1, he could simply decide to push his luck and wait it out, hoping that the crew doesnt run out of oxygen and fuel untill its over.
But option 2, being the more probable one would require to rush in as fast as possible pick up the crew and hopefully escape without being killed.
He had to chose...
And he chose to act upon option 2, to ensure the safety and survival of his friends.
.....
As the ship progressed towards the coordinates and the source of the jamming, the field slowly began getting thinner, which allowed it to gain more momentum without worrying about collisions too much.
Meanwhile the jamming was getting more intense, and he had to turn off the comms station, as to not have his head explode from the earth-shattering tinnitus it was causing him.
The closer he got the more nervous he became, the ship was big and could probably take some fire if it came to it.
But it was a large and easy target, if a torpedo were to hit, he was unsure whenever the ship could take it or if it would break apart.
"Keep calm, and carry on. Keep calm, and carry on..."
He kept mumbling to himself, it was a catchword printed on top of the safety briefing manual. (1.)
.....
When nearing the outskirts of the belt, he began to notice shards and dust from destroyed asteroids. Such things could only happen in two cases.
Case number one. A miner made a mistake, and the asteroid, on which his mining module was sitting on broke appart.
Or...
Case number two. The asteroid was hit by ammunition, either of high explosive sort, or armor piercing.
Considering the recent events and the ever increasing intensity of the jamming, case number two was, albeit frightening, more probable.
.....
Jack and the ship reached the edge of the belt. Asteroids here were smaller and further apart but there were still a lot of them.
.....
In the distance a faint orange glow could be seen flickering on and off.
That meant, that a ship or ships were manuevering there.
Other times a more violent flash occurred, that was probably an explosion.
Jack adjusted the heading and set the course straight to the middle of the area.
"Dont worry guys... I'm coming! Just stay alive!" Jack thought to himself, as he pushed the final control lever and sent the ship flying full tilt towards the very one-sided battle.
.....
Location - orbital asteroid belt, sector R4D79, quadrant 3
Vessel: Information unavailable.
Captain - Information unavailable.
Current activity - Information unavailable.
"Damn these mining pods! They're so hard to hit." Says one of the gunnery officers on the unknown attacking ship's command bridge.
"Keep firing, they're bound to make a mistake soon." Says the captain.
"I dont know captain, they have several advantages." Says analytic officer.
"What do you mean Sanders?" Asks the captain.
"Well, mining pods and modules as much as there is little difference between the two are much more manueverable than us, add the fact that they are heavily armored, to withstand collisions with stray asteroids and micro-asteroid clusters at speeds that would either outright destroy or cripple this ship. They we cannot forget that the pilots of these modules spend most of their lives in these asteroid fields and belts, and as such have the knowledge of how to use the landscape to their advantage." Says the analytic officer.
"No matter the advantage, they need to be destroyed." Says the captain.
"I for one, dont even understand why were wasting ammo on these things to begin with."
Says the gunnery officer from before.
"The chief said, no witnesses, and I'm not willing to bet that those pilots wont share their story. So keep at it, untill there's nothing left of them!" Says the captain.
*A couple of moments later.
"Captain! Big problem!" Yells another officer.
"What's happening?" Asks the captain.
"Huge energy signature, port, negative 36 degrees! Its heading straight for us!" Yells the officer.
"Put it on my screen. I want to see what it is." Says the captain.
Once the captain sees the image, he frowns. And says.
"Retreat! The prototype has been taken. Call SSA Aegis for extraction on the agreed coordinates!"
The pilot and communications officer spring into action. Changing the course, turning off the jammers and contracting their mysterious allies.
While the gunnery officer asks.
"Captain what is this about, its just a bigger ship. A nice big target if you ask me. And what happened to the 'no witnesses' thing"?
"While you are right that hitting it would probably be easy due to its size, we do not have the kind of weaponry that could cause any significant amount of damage, on this ship. Furthermore, our mission was not to destroy the prototype, we were supposed to recover it, but thats imposible now! We need to retreat and report the situation to the HQ. And I would thank you not to question my orders!"
The gunnery officer silently nods and returns to his post.
"Captain coordinates set we are ready for the warp jump, on your mark captain!" Reports the pilot.
"Onwards! Lets hope they dont pursue us."
Says the captain.
.....
Location - orbital asteroid belt, sector R4D79, quadrant 3
Vessel: Unregistered salvage
Captain (Unofficial) - Jack Soto
Current activity - Arriving at rendezevous point.
"They're turning around? They're running!" Jack shouted out at the empty command bridge excitedly.
The unknown enemy was turning their ship around and breaking away from the battle. This was his chance.
He jumped up from the pilot's post and went for the comms. Tuned into the right frequency and immidiatelly called out to his friends.
"Guy, its me! Head for the docking ports quickly, I got us a ride out of here!"
He didnt wait for a response, instead he jumped towards the captain's seat and looked thought the controls. After a while of searching he found the controls for the docking port shielding and opened it.
*Not 10 minutes later...
Fifth module has docked and the crew inside boarded the ship. The only thing left was to dump, the now useless module.
Jack pushed a few buttons and engaged the procedure.
"Separation succesful." The words appeared on his screen and gradually vanished, they then re-appeared as an automated log entry in the top left corner of the screen.
Jack then opened the intercom and said. "Follow the signs and head to the... Erm..."
He paused and looked at the ship's layout which he had opened on the right screen of the captain's console.
"Eehm... Head for the canteen I'll meet you there." He finishes and turns the intercomm off.
He is just about to leave the bridge but stops in his tracks. An idea just poped up in his head and it wouldnt go away.
He turned around and walked to the sensors station it didnt take long to find the warp wake (2.) he wanted and set the system to keep tracking it. Afterwards he left the bridge and headed for the canteen.
.....
He arrived last as he got distracted on the bridge. But, the second the door opened he got swarmed by his by the group who were asking all kinds of questions.
Unable to answer them all at once he could only stand there and stammer out a few words. Until, to his relief, Dimo inserted himself into the swarm and roared.
"QUIET!"
Suddenly the canteen was silent and everyone was looking at him, including Jack who silently thanked the stars for Dimo being there.
After a few seconds, Dimo said.
"If you're gonna ask questions, ask one at a time and confine them to the most important ones, are we clear?"
The rest of the crew doesnt say anything, just nodding in agreement, simultaneously they all step back a little to give Jack some room to breathe.
"Alright... ehm... questions?" Jack asks.
The first to raise their voice is Sur'ok.
"Jack, noone saw a breathing organism since we boarded. Where is the crew of this ship?"
One of the most important questions. Jack took a deep breath and answered.
"There is noone else onboard, its just us. This ship was abandoned, that was the signature we picked up that I left to investigate."
The crew exchange looks of disbelief, and for a second even Dimo looked mildly disconcert.
Max came in second with a question that seemed more like it was supposed to scare everyone.
"Why was it abandoned? What happened here. Was there like a plague in here, or radiation?"
Jack gives him a look, sighs and says.
"I dont know, and I dont think that was the case here. The power was down but the reactor was intact, no radiation. And besides none of us are feeling sick or anything, espetially me, I was here the longest."
That seems to put the paranoid doctor at ease, even if only a little.
The questions flow as time passes. Soon it is revealed to the others that Jack has found the ship and there for had every right to claim ownership of it.
And that is what he has done, even if, for now, only unofficially, Jack was the captain of the vessel and the sole owner.
.....
Since noone else was asking questions for a while now as they were trying to wrap their heads around everything, Jack decided to break the silence.
"Guy, I have an idea, a batsh!t crazy idea that I cannot decide to go through on my own."
"What kind of idea is it?"
Said Demo who mostly kept silent up until now.
Jack took a deep breath and said.
"The ship that attacked Arborat, I'm almost certain that it was the same one that attacked you here. If you are with me on this, I would like to pursue them and get us some answers."
The crew remains silent, and the tension in the room feels like a corporeal thing. The others occasionaly look at one another but ultimately stay quiet, as if not to disturb the silence. What Jack just suggested would put them in an even more dangerous situation than before.
Until Dimo loses his patience with the others and says outloud.
"I'm in, lets chase them down!"
Everyone's heads suddenly snap to look in his direction. And Jack asks in disbelief.
"You're serioud about it?"
"Sure, and while I otherwise would be against this idea, because as you've said, it IS crazy. But to be honest I would like to know who just destroyed the place I called home for the past 5 years, and why."
Following Dimo's example everyone else agrees as well, feeling emboldened Jack leads them to the bridge.
.....
"Wow! This is..." Exclaimed Luca when the crew reached the bridge.
"Impressive, ain't it?" Asked Jack, walking over to his seat. "It even has adjustable seats!"
He said jokingly. "Now if you would, please take the stations that you think would suit you the most."
"Okay. Where are the weapons on this baby?"
Asks Dimo.
Jack suddenly freezes because he never heard Dimo talk in such maner before.
"I dont know, I'm not even sure this ship has any weapons."
Dimo shoots him an incredulous look and says. "If this ship doesnt have any weapons then I'm Asta Loua (3.)." He says and then looks around.
After a few moments his eyes set on a console station that Jack didnt have time to check.
"Hmmm..." Dimo walks over to the console and sits down into the chair.
"Jack I need you to grant me access to this thing." He says after tapping a few keys.
"Uh... Yeah, sure." Jack says and starts working on his console.
"Access granted to 'New Officer'." The words apperar and then go into the log like before.
"You should be able to use it now." Says Jack.
"It wants me to register... Hold on..." He says and quickly works through the registration.
A message appears on Jack's screen.
"Gunnery officer registration form received. Please confirm." Says the text message.
"Confirmed."
"I'm in!" Exclaims Dimo. "Now what do we have here..."
He says and looks over his consoles and screens.
"Hohoho, as I thought, this thing is super well armed... and not just your everyday PDs either." He says and then starts reading off his screen.
"4x5 missile silos, torpedo tubes, plasma railgun cannons, burst autocannons. And the point defence is made out of REs, the 'Flashlights'! (4.) All in all this thing is kitted out pretty well." Says Dimo and starts poking around the various settings.
"I didnt know that you were so knowledgeable of ship weapons." Asks Jack.
"I was a security officer in many places in my life, of course I learned a thing or two." Says Dimo.
"Yeah, that makes sence... Well, anyways get to you posts and prepare for departure, our target is getting away by the second and we still havent figured out who will do what." He says urging the others to decide quickly
"Pilot." Says Luca.
"I'll take navigation and sensors." Says Kha'ro.
"You know me, I'll make myself at home in the sickbay." Says Max and starts walking away.
"Third deck, towards the stern. Jack shouts after him.
"Got it." He says and turns a corner.
"I think I'll hang around the engine and the reactor room, and you know... make sure that nothing blows up on us." Says Thomas, waiting for Jack to give him directions.
"Ok. Second through third deck, center and towards the stern." Says Jack looking at the ship's layout.
"Right, lets hope nothing falls appart." He says and leaves.
"I'll try and help wherever I can, I guess..." Says Sur'ok.
"In that case would you mind taking the second pilot station?" Asks Luca.
"Uh... Sure..." He says and makes his way there.
After a few minutes....
"Is everyone ready?" Asks Jack.
"Course set, Jack." Says Luca.
"The target's warp wake is being tracked, they wont get away, with what they've done." Says Kha'ro sounding almost vengefull.
And its not just him, everyone including Jack had lost friends on Arborat.
"Engine room... are we ready?" Says Jack through the intercom.
"The generator is purring and I can practically feel the engine buzzing with excitement, we're ready." Says Thomas.
"Sickbay... Are we feeling good?" Asks Jack.
"Feels like I've died and gone to heaven, this place is a dream come true!" Says Max, jovial and excited.
"Glad you like it... Dimo?" Asks Jack
"All good here, if we get into a fight, I'll make a planet sized hole in our enemy's hull." He says.
"Alright... Sur'ok?"
"Prepared as much as I can be... Lets do this." He says looking determined.
"Alright, lets move out, and get us some answers, initiate warp jump!" Jack says.
(1.) Safety briefing manuals are on every ship and in every module, depicting dangerous scenarios and how to act if you are in one if these, they are mostly remembered by their cover with large words saying. "Keep calm and carry on."
(2.) Warp wakes, when a ship uses a warp jump it leaves a signature called a warp wake, these signatures can be tracked and reveal where the tracked ship is heading. The larger the ship the easier it is to track its warp wake.
(3.) Asta Loua is a female star of a popular Nowian soap opera, The Starliners. Highly popular even amongst Solans.
(4.) RE better known as the "Flashlights" are a point defence system. RE stands for Ray Emitter. This PD system utilizes wide spectrum of energy beams to confuse and destroy missiles and torpedos.
While they do not dispose of the incoming munition instantly like a classical PD weapon, these beams are almost impossible to avoid, so missiles that are programed to have an erratic flight path cannot benefit from their programing.
This is achieved by the RE having a wide spead cone, which allows them to cover a larger area, like a flashligh. This reduces the potency of the beam on longer ranges, however the it is most likely that multiple of these will be pointed in roughly the same direction, their beams overlapping and increasing the potency on longer ranges, also the intensity of the beam gets higher as the target closes the distance more and more.
REs also have what is called focus mode, in which the RE focuses the beam into one spot creating an intense laser beam, increasing its range at the cost of lowering its area of effect to almost nothing.