The Asking Price of Stars Read online

  My parents managed to retain the horse farm with 500 hectors. We moved into the farm manager's house. He had quit as soon as he heard we were broke. Only the cook and the lead stable man stayed. We lived on Kim-me's salary and what Brook could make selling near-horses. We were not poor, but a long way from rich. I learned to do laundry and muck horse stalls. I transferred out of Loyal Sons the best private upper school in the League, to Garrison's a good second rank school and ten times less costly. A year later my Alpha father found a position at a small local bank adding a bit more income.

  At the end of my second year in upper school my parents sat me down for a talk. Kim-me said, ‘You have only one more year of upper school before you must select a university. There is no way we can afford West Star. Your grades are not strong enough for a scholarship. An athletic scholarship won’t help either; they don't care if you are the best field ball player at Garrison. Sports don't count for much at West Star unless you played for Loyal Sons or one of the other aristocratic schools.’

  Richard continued, ‘I am so damn sorry but the Public University is the best we can do. I advise you to study accounting or teaching for a secure future.’”

  Tracey continued her story after taking a deep breath, "My heart stopped, accounting or teaching - NO WAY! I had spent a lot of time in the stable and talking to Bob Redding our stable man. He had been an enlisted crewman in the Space Force. He spun out tales of the Free Space Force. I told my parents I wanted a life of adventure and planned to apply for Space Force Officer Training School!"

  Brook said, ‘You could have told us you wanted to be a tavern girl and shocked the family less.’

  "Our family, going back generations, had no history of military service. They were bankers, traders, teachers, and horse people. No Mills or Watkins served any branch of military in living memory. They thought it was senseless to serve when you could live well here on Freehome. Alpha father Richard asked, ‘Did you know what kind of salary an officer makes?’ Kim-me said that the family would not pay for my education to be an officer. I told them Parliament pays the cost. After three hours of screaming, which got me and them nowhere; I went to my room and wrote out my plans. The next day Brook fired Redding. I told my parents to rehire him or I would be on my back in a spacer tavern before the week ended. Redding was rehired.

  After a year of fighting with my family I went to Officer Training School," Tracey finished with a sly smile.

  Chapter Fourteen

  – The Battlecruiser Lady Delapasse orbit above Green Four 12-25-517

  Nirabella was glad to be on board the Lady after spending weeks fixing medical supply problems on the Space Force Base of Green Four. Chief Sergeant Cici De Santis was standing next to her. Colonel Chung had been true to his word and recommended both of them for positions on the Lady Delapasse. General Bridgeford quickly approved their positions as soon as he arrived with the battle cruiser.

  The general and the four senior officers were standing on the overhead walkway in the closed lifter bay. Almost all three hundred and sixty-five officers and crew were gathered in the bay.

  General Alexander Bridgeford began, “I am going to keep this short. First, welcome aboard to the new members of the crew. I understand some very experienced crew members have joined us and some new crew members arrived from OTS and Crew Training.”

  “This ship will leave orbit in four hours and begin a long and dangerous mission,” the general continued. “We will be accompanied by three other ships of Green Fleet; the destroyer Fire Dancer, a League built sphere ship, the fast escort Summer Storm an Imperial built ship and the sphere ship fast escort Racing Lady. The remainder of the fleet will provide protection for Green Four and convoys trading along the Green Line. As many of you know the Green Line is a line of stars reaching out from Green’s Star on the outer edge of the Free Stars Cluster. The line reaches out into uncharted and unknown space. The inhabited planets that orbit these stars are independent and not part of the League of Free Stars. However, critical trade routes have developed along these planets. Many essential materials, metals, chemicals, bio-chemicals, drugs, and even luxury items are traded via the line. Just one example, the material used in your space suits comes from this trade. It’s twice as strong and is more flexible than any material we can currently manufacture.”

  “Pirates are now threatening that trade with much larger and better armed ships than ever before,” he warned. “For reasons, we don’t as yet understand, the Troc Empire may be supplying the pirates with these ships. Together I believe we can destroy the pirates and protect the Green Line! May the gods protect us and give us victory!” the general said loudly and enthusiastically. The crew exploded into clapping, shouting ascent and joyful banter.

  After the cheering stopped, Cici said to Nirabella, “Nice speech from Ax, short and to the point.”

  Nirabella replied, “You and I have been out along the Green Line; do you think the new crew members are ready?”

  Cici said, “I am not sure about some of them but the new blond lieutenant and the twins sure as all the hells are.” Cici quickly changed the subject. "Do you know how our General Alexander (the Ax) Bridgeford got his nickname? It’s a story worth knowing.” Nirabella shook her head. Cici leaned into her conspiratorially and spoke quietly. “Thirty years ago, at the space battle off Morgan’s Abode,” she said, “he was commanding a light cruiser which somehow took out an imperial battleship. His cruiser was badly damaged in the battle.” Cici looked around to see if anyone was observing her and Nirabella. Everyone else was busy. Cici continued the narrative, “He landed at the main hospital on Morgan’s Abode with three lifters full of critically wounded. A staff colonel told Bridgeford he didn’t have the correct documentation to land and unload and new documentation would take several hours to prepare. Bridgeford was only a major at the time, the colonel out ranked him and was in charge. The staff colonel told Bridgeford that the wounded would just have to wait in the lifters. Bridgeford walked out of the colonel’s office took a fire ax off the wall, went back into the office and with a single ax blow to the head killed the colonel. He then ordered the ground staff, “Move the wounded into the hospital NOW!” Next, he calmly asked to talk to the colonel’s replacement. A Board of Inquirer was never held. The Colonel’s family was told he died in an accident on base.” Cici sighed as Nirabella raised an eyebrow.

  Chapter Fifteen

  – The Battlecruiser Lady Delapasse 02-01-518

  The great battle cruiser had dropped out of the time wave two days earlier. The ship and her escorts were now three star systems out along the Green Line. The ships were turned so that the main engines faced toward their direction of travel. they were decelerating to approach the planet Pangerbar a major trading center.

  Tracey heard the declaration, “Battle Alert, pull suit packs, and all crew to combat assignments!”

  Tracey was lying in her bunk when the Battle Alert was sounded. Quickly she pulled her space suit and helmet pack from the locker in her small cabin. She heard Fleet Officer Nirabella next door getting her suit pack out. They shared a common bathroom and the doors were open. Tracey looked for Purple Cat to hastily push her into the safety carrier. But, the little cat was already in the carrier and ready to trip the sealed door closed. Purple Cat’s training worked perfectly. After the door was sealed she would have two days’ air and water if the ship’s atmosphere was lost to the vacuum of space.

  In the passageway outside their cabins, Tracey and Nirabella crossed paths, carrying their space suit packs. Tracey was heading aft to the backup control station for the rear turret. Nira was heading forward to the medical area.

  They said the traditional words to each other. “Victory, Honor, Ship!”

  In the main Control Center, Peter Guderian sat with his spacesuit pack hung on the side of his chair and a fire control panel in front of him. A Battle Alert had been called and he had absolutely nothing to do. The control panel in front of Peter had every function locked out.
He could only watch, observe, and learn. Captain Montgomery did not trust him to operate the control panel. It was not because he was half Troc. It was because he wasn’t very good at fire control. In fact, during a recent combat simulation he blasted one of the Space Forces’ own ships. It was a clean rail gun hit mid ships.

  The Captain’s only comment was, “Which side are you fighting for Guderian?”

  Battles could not be fought when the Time Wave Drive was engaged. All members of the Time Wave Navigation Team therefore had combat assignments in the control room. Demitrianna Constantine, the young Captain and the Chief Time Wave Navigator (CTWN) did not have much use for anyone who could not help in an alert. In fact, Demitrianna had little use for anyone who ranked below her. She was mid height, with a solid body. Her face was gorgeous with deep black eyes and meticulously styled coal black hair. However, there was nothing gorgeous about her personality. Her nick name was the Black Widow after the notorious spider the humans had brought into the Empire and later to the League. She was only five years out of Officer Training School and already a Captain. Demitrianna was a superb CTWN and the most ambitious person Peter had ever encountered. She glanced over at him with a gaze that said, “I see a blank space when I look at you Guderian.”

  Peter’s attention reverted back to General Bridgeford. The general ordered, “To all ships of the fleet, cut the dark matter engines on my mark. Turn all ships 180 degrees to face the nose in the direction of travel.” Sixty Seconds later the General said, “Mark now!”

  Bridgeford outlined the situation and his battle plan to the crew and the other ships of the fleet. “Our sensors show five pirate ships closing on the orbiting station of Pangerbar. There are eight merchant trader ships docked at the station and two more in orbit around the planet. If we continue to decelerate we will be too late to stop the pirate attack. If the fleet continues on at our current speed we will reach the pirates before they can attack the station or the merchant ships. But, we will get just a single pass at them as our velocity is five times the pirates’. To get a second pass we need to slow further and then go around the sun.

  The Fire Dancer, Summer Storm, and Racing Lady will each attack one of the three small pirate ships. The Lady Delapasse will attack the two large pirate ships. All rail guns will fire on auto control by Captain Constantine. All missiles will launch on auto control by Captain Montgomery.”

  Executive Officer Colonel Harrison Chung announced, “We will be in missile range in three hours, twenty-four minutes and 18 seconds and within rail gun range in three hours twenty-four minutes and 59 seconds.”

  Bridgeford issued a Standby-Alert for the next three hours. The crew could wait three hours to suit up. The cooks would distribute hot and cold drinks and sandwiches to all the combat stations. The crews could go take a piss.

  Bridgeford closed with, "Victory, Honor, Ship!"

  Three hours later Kat, Chief Sergeant De Santis and a dozen crew members were suiting up in the airlock above Missile Drop Bay One. Light and Shadow were two of the dozen members. On the other side of the airlock the drop bay doors were already starting to open to space.

  Kat asked via his helmet mike, “Everyone sealed up? Is your air flow correct? All suit systems working?”

  He counted thirteen “yes” responses, tapped his com and confirmed, “Bay one crew stand by for our dance with death!”

  Tracey suited up in the backup control station of the rear turret. The backup control station was an armored chamber just below the rear rail-gun turret. With her were Chief Sergeant Baryic Chahill, who she did not know well and four crew members. The team had two functions. First, was to climb up to the turret if the auto loaders jammed and clear them. The second was to take control of the turret and aim and fire the guns if communications were lost with the main Control Center.

  The four crew members were strapped into seats along the wall. Tracey and Baryic were seated in the center of the chamber with fire control panels in front of them. They were seated facing each other. Tracey could monitor all fire control actions but would only have control if the blue light flashed at the top of her screen.

  The massive power cables around the chamber hummed as both large rail-guns above were charged. The twenty kilo projectiles were already loaded into the breach area of the guns. The projectiles would be launched at five thousand plus meters per second. But first the missiles would be launched.

  Incoming missile tracks suddenly flashed onto Tracey’s screen. The missiles appeared in space with no ship nearby. Tracey thought, Drift missiles; they must have been planted by the pirates. These missiles drifted in space totally powered down until a tight beam signal turned them on and set a target. It was an extremely wasteful use of missiles. You have to place many of them to ensure one or two were close to your target. Where, by all the gods, did a bunch of dog licking pirates get that many missiles? There was only one answer!

  Tracey watched as seconds later Montgomery’s team launched two mid-sized missiles from the two forward tubes in the nose section. Next came two more missiles. She watched as these four missiles destroyed the two incoming drift missiles

  Inside Missile Bay One, Kat and Cici had arranged the crew along cat walks between each of the drop racks. These big missiles were over twenty meters long and a meter in diameter. They were pushed free by a blast of steam and their plasma engines only fired when well clear of the great battle cruiser. The crew was equipped with power hammers, pry bars, hydraulic rams, and even two cutting torches. May the gods help if a torch was used on a missile!

  Montgomery told Kat, “Bay Two’s launch racks did not power up. It’s all up to your team, Kat.”

  The first two big missiles dropped clean. Then, the next missile on the right rack dropped clean however the one in the left rack jammed. Cici and her crew were responsible for the left rack; they all leaped forward. As Cici jammed the pry bar in above the missile she saw Light hit the rack with a power hammer. Suddenly the rack broke and the missile dropped free. A long piece of the broken rack cut the suit of Ronda Canfield wide open. She was just too close, trying to free the missile. Ronda exploded out of the wide cut as blood and guts sprayed Cici and Light. A bone with meat attached bounced off of Light’s helmet. It was over in seconds. The vacuum of space ripped the poor girl apart.

  Kat told himself, Shane Kat Jang stand steady!

  He told the team, “Steady team, we have more missiles to launch. Captain Montgomery will block the left rack, everyone to the right-side rack.”

  Two more missiles dropped from the right rack and their plasma engines fired and then it was over. Gunson launched no more missiles.

  Minutes earlier, when the first missiles launched, Tracey tackled the two pirate heavy cruisers. On her screen, she watched as the pirate cruisers blasted three of five missiles before they reached either ship. Tracey saw one of the Lady’s large missiles slam into the closer cruiser mid ships, it was a good hit. The heavy cruiser began to breakup. The last and fifth big missile missed and raced toward the sun.

  The pirate opened up with her rail-guns. The rail-guns in the Lady’s turrets began to fire. Seconds later Tracey heard an explosion as a rail-gun projectile from the remaining pirate cruise ripped through deck three of the Lady. The blue light flashed on her screen. Sergeant Baryic yelled, “Fire, fire!” Tracey locked the guns on target and fired. The first shot missed. She tracked her second shot and within seconds it hit. It almost missed but struck the aft most engineering area and destroyed the tubes for the plasma and dark matter engines. The second pirate cruiser was disabled. Sergeant Chahill yelled, “Nice hit! We got the scum!”

  On the Control Deck, Peter could not understand what in the hells was wrong with Demitrianna otherwise called the Black Widow. She was screaming her head off. They had destroyed one major pirate ship and disabled the other. On top of that, two of the three small pirate ships were disabled and the other one was sending a surrender signal. What could she be so pissed off about? Peter thought. Before
he could stop himself, Peter shouted out, “Are you totally nuts Widow? We got the kills.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  – The Battlecruiser Lady Delapasse Docked at Pangergar’s Station 02-07-518

  The Battlecruiser was docked at the Pangerbar space station. The crew completed transforming the main mess hall of Lady into a room for the ceremony. General Bridgeford and senior offices sat on a raised platform which filled one end of the room. Just below the platform were the seats for Kat and twenty other offices and crew. At the other end of the room were chairs for the audience. The Vid cameras were on and transmitting to all ships of Green Fleet and to the station. The Vid would then be transferred to the city below and finally be shipped home to the League by fast courier.

  As Kat sat awaiting the Board of Inquirer, he would soon hear his and the other’s fate. Kat thought, was it only seven days ago that Green Fleet won an impressive victory? How can I once more be before a Board? How did I go wrong? The board was called three days ago. Witness after witness testified, painting each of us as either incompetent, or as criminals. Captain Demitrianna Constantine twisted the facts and drove home our so-called crimes at every point in the inquirer.