Although the jump to the Prasinos System was virtually instantaneous, the navigating to and from designated jump zones and waiting for jump authorisation took time, even more so when jumping into one of the busiest systems in the galaxy.
The Prasinos System had to contend with over five thousand ship movements per day, through nine designated jump zones.
It was for this reason it had taken Linda four hours to get a jump authorisation into zone 6.
As the Gabriel emerged into the designated zone, the holo map in the centre of the bridge lit up with hundreds of ships, all seemingly vying for the same area of space.
‘Bloody hell, it’s busy here,’ said Linda.
‘Like Christmas week at Heathrow,’ said Andy, watching the mass of images flowing in every direction.
Ed immediately sent a priority message to the station commander at Stathmos Vasi Station, regarding the new evidence in the Katadromiko 37 case and the potential threat coming from Andromeda.
‘That should get their attention,’ he said.
He was right. Three minutes later they were hailed from the station.
‘Good morning, Captain Virr,’ said a very officious voice. ‘I am Station Commander Stak’oui. One of our ships will meet you at this location.’ A red marker began flashing on the holo display. ‘Do not deviate from the designated course. The information you have given us is considered highly classified. For this reason you will make no more transmissions from your vessel. Are these instructions understood?’
‘Instructions fully understood,’ replied Ed, looking puzzled.
‘Are you thinking the same as me?’ asked Andy.
‘That rendezvous point is a lot further away than the Stathmos Vasi Station,’ answered Ed.
‘And it’s remote,’ said Linda. ‘Something smells funny.’
‘They’ll be scanning us now. How can we check the validity of the meeting without transmitting?’ asked Andy.
‘You can’t,’ said Prota, who’d arrived on the tube elevator a few moments earlier. ‘But I can.’
Everyone turned to face him.
‘I’ll cloak my shuttle in the hangar and drift out and away. Then I can make a few inquiries and pop back in unnoticed.’
‘The Katadromiko 12 is in the system,’ said Linda. ‘That’s the one that arrested Lake, apparently, so there’s a fair chance he’s legit.’
‘That’s Captain Loftt,’ said Prota, nodding. ‘We go way back. Leave it with me.’
Half an hour later, Prota arrived back on the bridge.
‘Sorry I took so long,’ he said. ‘Loftt had to contact a friend on the station who physically walked up to the command centre and spoke to Stak’oui in person.’
‘And?’ said Andy, impatiently.
‘He received no message from us,’ said Prota, looking round at them all in turn. ‘Nor did he instruct you to meet at the rendezvous point. He is currently investigating how his transmissions are being intercepted and by whom.’
‘It appears our Andromedan friends have infiltrated the GDA quite substantially,’ said Ed. ‘We need to be careful who we trust.’
‘Do you want me to change course towards the station?’ said Linda.
‘No,’ said Ed, with a rueful smile. ‘Let’s see who turns up.’
‘Loftt thought you’d say that,’ said Prota, ‘so he’s going to bring his cruiser to the rendezvous point as soon as he can get away.’
‘How long have we got?’ said Andy.
‘Twenty-two minutes to rendezvous point,’ said Phil, who’d been very quiet up to now.
‘Okay,’ said Ed. ‘Let’s give ourselves a bit of back-up. Phil, can you take over the piloting of the Gabriel? And Linda, move over to weapons. Andy, you and I will take out a cloaked Cartella and give whoever it is a little surprise. Remember, I expect the majority of the crew on the GDA ship that’s going to meet us probably have no idea of the deception they’re part of. It may only be a couple of the senior officers involved. So we can’t do a destruction derby this time. If it gets a bit hairy like last time, jump away and go at best speed towards the station.’
‘But they’ll follow the jump,’ said Linda. ‘We won’t have time to embed the co-ordinates.’
‘Jump nearer the station while transmitting a distress signal,’ said Ed. ‘They can’t engage you while the whole system is watching; that’s why the rendezvous point is so remote.’ Ed winked at her and continued: ‘Keep them talking. I have a plan.’
‘Okay, will do,’ said Linda, looking across at Phil, his hands noticeably trembling. ‘You okay?’
Phil looked up at her and attempted a smile. ‘I’m just not used to all this combat stuff,’ he said. ‘I’ve been on this ship for several millennia and not witnessed much violence until now.’
‘Well, they’re hardly trained for it either,’ she said, nodding at Ed and Andy. ‘If it’s any consolation, I’m shit scared too – and I trained to be a fighter pilot.’
We’re all nervous, Phil,’ said Ed. ‘Some of us show it more than others. You’re doing just fine.’
Phil nodded. ‘I need to take a harden-up pill, don’t I?’ he said and clasped his hands together tightly to stop them trembling.
A few minutes later, the cloaked Cartella drifted slowly out of the port hangar and powered away.
Ed instructed Andy that a gap of five thousand kilometres was enough and they matched speeds with the Gabriel and waited.
Linda pulled the Gabriel up to a full stop at the designated co-ordinates, kept the shields on their standard default setting and scanned the area thoroughly.
There wasn’t much to see. The meeting point was right out on the fringe of the system. The nearest planet was millions of kilometres away and, beyond that, a debris field, similar to the Kuiper belt on the fringes of the Helios System.
‘Not a very crowded neighbourhood, is it?’ said Prota as he and Klai entered the bridge, sitting themselves in the spare control couches and surveying the holo display.
‘No, it's not,’ said Linda. ‘Just perfect for an ambush.’
In her peripheral vision, she saw Phil squirm in his seat.
The GDA Apergia Class Destroyer jumped in five hundred kilometres off their starboard side. It instantly brought up full shields and guns to bear on the Gabriel.
On the nearby Cartella, Andy was reclining on his control couch with his hands behind his head.
‘Well, well, that’s not very polite,’ he said, slowly starting to move the cloaked Cartella over and in behind the GDA ship.
‘Cleo, can you patch us in on anything the GDA ship transmits?’ said Ed.
‘Already done,’ she said.
They didn't have to wait long.
‘Vessel Gabriel, this is the Captain of the GDA Destroyer Vrachos. Remain stationary. We will despatch a tender across to you to pick up our prisoner. Drop your shields and open your starboard hangar.’
‘Hello, unnamed Captain of the GDA Destroyer Vrachos,’ said Linda in a posh, seductive voice, trying not to snigger. ‘This is Admiral Wisnewski of the Star Destroyer Gabriel. Would you be so kind as to drop your shields and point your dick in some other direction? Didn't your mummy tell you it’s rude to point?’
The Vrachos suddenly closed on the Gabriel and came to an abrupt halt a kilometre off her starboard side.
‘Oh dear, Captain. I bet you were the school bully too,’ she transmitted. ‘I’m positively shaking in my flip flops.’
Back on the Cartella, both Ed and Andy grinned at each other.
‘She’s brilliant,’ said Andy.
‘I’m going to nominate her for a comedy award,’ said Ed from where he was tapping away at the jump co-ordinates panel.
‘Where are we going?’ said Andy, watching what Ed was doing.
‘You’ll see. Just have our new Raga Fos Cannons activated and locked on their engines and targeting array.’
Linda was still having fun with the arrogant GDA Captain. ‘You’ve gone all quiet, Captain. Don't tell me you get all bashful when you get close to a girl?’
‘Your lack of respect will not go unpunished. You will surrender your vessel immediately.’
‘Oh dear, just when I thought we were getting on so well. I had a candle-lit dinner planned and everything,’
The two heavy, starboard-side cannons which were trained on the Gabriel fired as one. The Gabriel's shields flashed white and Cleo increased their resistance to full.
Ed dropped the Cartella's cloak and touched the purple jump icon. The Destroyer’s port-side cannons very quickly swivelled to lock and engage the uncloaked ship, but only managed to fire through a cloud of dissipating green haze.
‘You clever bastard,’ said Andy as the much smaller ship emerged inside the shields of the Destroyer.
‘Captain Clever Bastard to you,’ said Ed as he fired the Cartella’s cannons at point-blank range, directly into the Destroyer’s engines and arrays.
It went abruptly very quiet and the ship began to drift. Its shields had failed too, probably having previously taken their power from the now-shredded main engines, and all four of the heavy cannons seemed to float back up to their default straight-out position.
Andy moved the Cartella away from the Destroyer to avoid hitting the debris which was swirling out from the rear of the stricken ship.
‘How did you know we'd fit inside their shields?’
‘Mensuration formula,’ said Ed, hopefully, with a wince.
‘You weren't sure at all, were you?’
‘Yes, I was.’
‘No, you weren’t.’
‘I was.’
‘No, you weren’t.’
‘When you've quite finished, gentlemen…’ said a different, official-sounding voice, causing Ed and Andy to jump.
Ed hadn’t noticed he’d touched the transmit icon in his haste to jump and fire.
The Katadromiko 12 uncloaked a kilometre away, its bulk blotting out all the stars on their port side. It secured the drifting Destroyer with a tractor beam and its Asteri Beam operators got a bit of target practice, vaporising the remaining debris.
‘Good morning, Captain Virr. This is Captain Loftt of the GDA. I see you’ve been busy blowing holes in one of our nice, new, expensive Apergia Class Destroyers.’
‘Yeah, sorry about that. Send me an invoice.’
‘From what I’ve seen, regarding the evidence you’ve uncovered, it should be us paying you. But that’s not what I came for. I understand you have a prisoner for me.’
‘Yes, Captain,’ said Ed. ‘Although, after recent events, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to deliver her to the station personally.’
‘I understand. We’ll escort you there in case any more of these traitors decide to play games; just give me time to secure and arrest the Destroyer’s crew.’
As Andy brought the Cartella back into the Gabriel’s hangar, the stricken destroyer was boarded by soldiers from the 12. They received no resistance as the majority of the crew had not been aware of the treachery in the senior ranks.
Both the Captain and the Chief Weapons Officer were found dead in their cabins.