We have been chasing these pirates so long, it seems a lifetime. Years spent in the black depths of Space. Nothing to do except stare endlessly out the viewscreen, seeing the ship through the changing colours from red to green and on and on as it goes through the entire visual spectrum. Nothing to do but think on the chase. Nothing to do but focus on the hunt. Nothing to do but die of boredom.
"Any change?"
sigh, No Captain. No change.
"Alright let me know when we hit our coordinates. Ill go mark our trajectory and correct our course."
Yeah you do that. You lead the ship after all. This ship, The Predator, pride of the Europan Navy. She isnt the fastest ship around but back in the day she was the only one equipped with a Gravlectron Turbine. The engine that takes its power from the hundred million ampere strong Trans Jovian current. The turbine powers most of the ship's advanced features. Including the planetoid busting Gravelectron Gun. Of course by now they would have equipped all Europan ships with the revolutionary design. It has been thirteen years after all. Thirteen years on the hunt.
"Sheila come to my cabin, I need to check this with you."
Of course he would call Sheila, the harlot has been fucking the Captain for the past ten years. Look at her saunter across all ready to assist the captain. Who knows what the two of them will conspire at. Best check it out.
"These readings stopped making sense a long time ago. But lately things have just gotten insane. We have been stuck on this current loop for thirteen years and every time it seems like we are entering normal space we land up in these pockets of space. How many ships have we taken out?"
Sheila made a pretense of flipping through the records, she had an annoying habit of pretending to be dumber than she actually was. Probably so that she could show off her smarts at some precise occasion or the other.
"6765...that is a lot of ships."
"Exactly, where the hell are all these ships coming from? Even through we are displaced from normal space we should still be in the Jupiter region. We are still after all traveling on the Trans Jovian Current loop. Who keeps looking after these ships?"
"The...Pirates?"
"Oh bullshit, Six thousand seven hundred and sixty five pirates Sheila? Really? You know how that sounds? Crazy. That is exactly how it sounds...shit Im beginning to lose my mind in this boat. Its just been the two of us for so long."
"But we are an effective team Raj, we work well together."
"Yes yes Im sorry...Its just"
Captain, apologies for interrupting but we have arrived at our destination. The space pocket appears to be following normal space rules. We are still surrounded by the wall of the current. But we can recharge the turbine here.
"Very well...keep a lookout on long range scanners. Going by our past record we wont stay unmolested for long...and stop eavesdropping on me all the time."
Never even dream of it Captain. Deploying chargecaptors.
The Captain was not a patient man. But then Captain Raj K Rudrakumaran had never felt the need to inculcate patience. Gifted with the same farsight that got the first pioneers going on their voyages across oceans he was always one to look heavenward. It was clear from a very early age he was meant for Space. His mind absorbed all the requisite knowledge like a sponge, soaking it all in again without patience. When he came of age he passed out of the Academy with the Blade of Honor. And the abject hatred of every single one of his peers and many of his superiors. Was it any doubt then that he had been selected for his mission? A mission to endlessly chase ghosts in a shifted part of space time. Perhaps it was a lesson from chance. A chance to learn what he had chosen not to learn. Patience.
"Stopped making sense a long time ago."
Alert, Ship entering pocket, alert. Raising shields, arming torpedoes.
"Hold fire, get me a complete scan of that vessel."
Captain?
"The ship I want to scan it. A full scan, schematics, the works...was I stuttering?"
No Captain. Apologies. Scanning. Unable to comply, they are jamming us.
"Sonovab...fine open fire, cant take any chances. Set up an L glide down to the 89 on the Z. Launch interval of 3."
Acknowledged. Trajectory assigned. Please brace. Setting up spread. Firing.
"On screen."
He would barely be able to see the ship. It was a black speck against the blue of the current wall. A keen eye could pick it out. Their target had already begun moving in an evasive pattern. A black dot against an ocean of electric blue fire. The first of the torpedoes hit the current wall. One has to see to be able to believe what happens when a nuclear warhead blasts into a wall of a hundred and twenty million amperes of cosmic electricity. An array of brilliant black blossoms began to flower along the wall as our torpedoes missed their mark. One after the other. They ballooned outwards before collapsing in on itself as the current filled up the gaps. Every single torpedo missed and they lost target for a second.
"Set up gattling laser. Spread pattern alpha, run it three times."
Acknowledged. Enemy vessel is powering up weapons.
The gattling laser should have gotten them. It usually did the trick. But lately the pirates had been getting quite clever at this game. And the first two spreads missed, splashing a trail of red laser fire in the wake of the dark ship. But the third hit the mark.
"So they have shields too eh? See this is what Im talking about Sheila these guys are armed to the teeth. Somebody as to be supplying them all of this military grade equipment. There has to be a conspiracy in high command."
Enemy is firing...this signature it is off the charts...I know this energy signature...Brace for impact, Brace for impact, Brace for impact.
But the warning would not be enough. The blast that came through was too powerful. It ripped clean through the shields and the ship's hull. In a matter of moments it was over. One second the Captain was shouting orders and the next all was oblivion in the white heat and light. I do remember his last words though.
"They have a Gravelectron Gun..."
The black ship came to rest as the wreckage glided past it . Nothing identifiable remained of their enemy. Only space dust and powdered blood, floating this impossible pocket of space time.
"Alright good job on the evasive action Sonu. Deploy the chargecaptors . So this brings our total to what?"
"4181 Captain."
"Four thousand oner hundred and eighty one. This is insane Sheila. These numbers make no sense. Im telling you we cannot still be fighting pirates. What if we have been blowing up other Europan ships...we cant just go on like this..."
It has been eight long years on the hunt. Eight long years killing Pirate after Pirate hoping this one would be the last. Eight years stuck in a box with a girl and an AI would wear down any man's patience. And Captain Raj K Rudrakumaran was not a patient man to begin with.
"Any change?"
sigh, No Captain. No change.
"Alright let me know when we hit our coordinates. Ill go mark our trajectory and correct our course."
Yeah you do that. You lead the ship after all. This ship, The Predator, pride of the Europan Navy. She isnt the fastest ship around but back in the day she was the only one equipped with a Gravlectron Turbine. The engine that takes its power from the hundred million ampere strong Trans Jovian current. The turbine powers most of the ship's advanced features. Including the planetoid busting Gravelectron Gun. Of course by now they would have equipped all Europan ships with the revolutionary design. It has been thirteen years after all. Thirteen years on the hunt.
"Sheila come to my cabin, I need to check this with you."
Of course he would call Sheila, the harlot has been fucking the Captain for the past ten years. Look at her saunter across all ready to assist the captain. Who knows what the two of them will conspire at. Best check it out.
"These readings stopped making sense a long time ago. But lately things have just gotten insane. We have been stuck on this current loop for thirteen years and every time it seems like we are entering normal space we land up in these pockets of space. How many ships have we taken out?"
Sheila made a pretense of flipping through the records, she had an annoying habit of pretending to be dumber than she actually was. Probably so that she could show off her smarts at some precise occasion or the other.
"6765...that is a lot of ships."
"Exactly, where the hell are all these ships coming from? Even through we are displaced from normal space we should still be in the Jupiter region. We are still after all traveling on the Trans Jovian Current loop. Who keeps looking after these ships?"
"The...Pirates?"
"Oh bullshit, Six thousand seven hundred and sixty five pirates Sheila? Really? You know how that sounds? Crazy. That is exactly how it sounds...shit Im beginning to lose my mind in this boat. Its just been the two of us for so long."
"But we are an effective team Raj, we work well together."
"Yes yes Im sorry...Its just"
Captain, apologies for interrupting but we have arrived at our destination. The space pocket appears to be following normal space rules. We are still surrounded by the wall of the current. But we can recharge the turbine here.
"Very well...keep a lookout on long range scanners. Going by our past record we wont stay unmolested for long...and stop eavesdropping on me all the time."
Never even dream of it Captain. Deploying chargecaptors.
The Captain was not a patient man. But then Captain Raj K Rudrakumaran had never felt the need to inculcate patience. Gifted with the same farsight that got the first pioneers going on their voyages across oceans he was always one to look heavenward. It was clear from a very early age he was meant for Space. His mind absorbed all the requisite knowledge like a sponge, soaking it all in again without patience. When he came of age he passed out of the Academy with the Blade of Honor. And the abject hatred of every single one of his peers and many of his superiors. Was it any doubt then that he had been selected for his mission? A mission to endlessly chase ghosts in a shifted part of space time. Perhaps it was a lesson from chance. A chance to learn what he had chosen not to learn. Patience.
"Stopped making sense a long time ago."
Alert, Ship entering pocket, alert. Raising shields, arming torpedoes.
"Hold fire, get me a complete scan of that vessel."
Captain?
"The ship I want to scan it. A full scan, schematics, the works...was I stuttering?"
No Captain. Apologies. Scanning. Unable to comply, they are jamming us.
"Sonovab...fine open fire, cant take any chances. Set up an L glide down to the 89 on the Z. Launch interval of 3."
Acknowledged. Trajectory assigned. Please brace. Setting up spread. Firing.
"On screen."
He would barely be able to see the ship. It was a black speck against the blue of the current wall. A keen eye could pick it out. Their target had already begun moving in an evasive pattern. A black dot against an ocean of electric blue fire. The first of the torpedoes hit the current wall. One has to see to be able to believe what happens when a nuclear warhead blasts into a wall of a hundred and twenty million amperes of cosmic electricity. An array of brilliant black blossoms began to flower along the wall as our torpedoes missed their mark. One after the other. They ballooned outwards before collapsing in on itself as the current filled up the gaps. Every single torpedo missed and they lost target for a second.
"Set up gattling laser. Spread pattern alpha, run it three times."
Acknowledged. Enemy vessel is powering up weapons.
The gattling laser should have gotten them. It usually did the trick. But lately the pirates had been getting quite clever at this game. And the first two spreads missed, splashing a trail of red laser fire in the wake of the dark ship. But the third hit the mark.
"So they have shields too eh? See this is what Im talking about Sheila these guys are armed to the teeth. Somebody as to be supplying them all of this military grade equipment. There has to be a conspiracy in high command."
Enemy is firing...this signature it is off the charts...I know this energy signature...Brace for impact, Brace for impact, Brace for impact.
But the warning would not be enough. The blast that came through was too powerful. It ripped clean through the shields and the ship's hull. In a matter of moments it was over. One second the Captain was shouting orders and the next all was oblivion in the white heat and light. I do remember his last words though.
"They have a Gravelectron Gun..."
The black ship came to rest as the wreckage glided past it . Nothing identifiable remained of their enemy. Only space dust and powdered blood, floating this impossible pocket of space time.
"Alright good job on the evasive action Sonu. Deploy the chargecaptors . So this brings our total to what?"
"4181 Captain."
"Four thousand oner hundred and eighty one. This is insane Sheila. These numbers make no sense. Im telling you we cannot still be fighting pirates. What if we have been blowing up other Europan ships...we cant just go on like this..."
It has been eight long years on the hunt. Eight long years killing Pirate after Pirate hoping this one would be the last. Eight years stuck in a box with a girl and an AI would wear down any man's patience. And Captain Raj K Rudrakumaran was not a patient man to begin with.
