Two days were spent on Ulm, preparing the Stahlauge for her maiden venture into Omega space. Waap kept clear for the most part, leaving matters primarily in the hands of Hauptmann Baum. As a training exercise, things had gone well, and he surprised himself when he realised that he was feeling a sense of pride in the crew. He paced the corridors, struggling to reconcile his feelings for the humans. They were no more than a plague. A disease to be combated and eradicated. Nothing less than extermination could serve to protect the mindshare, yet'¦'¦'¦'¦
He stopped, looking around to get his bearings. He was at the observation deck, and entered the space tentatively. Ulm station dominated most of the view in front of him, the space around a hive of activity. He watched as vessels came and went, taking pleasure in the order and control obvious in the seeming chaos. He turned away from the station then, looking across the system towards the sun. He closed his eyes and let the light wash over him, through him, cleansing, calming. He reached out
**'¦..-We- are prepared.'¦them{humans} unknowing'¦'¦trusting *us*'¦'¦Ours is now.....**
**..'¦-We- come'¦..**
Sensing a presence behind him, Waap spun around with a start. A junior officer with a calculating expression snapped to attention.
'Mein Kapitan!! Hauptmann Baum requests your presence on the bridge, sir. We are ready to depart.'
With adrenaline coursing through his body, Waap tried to calm the beating of his heart. He'd been careless, he knew, something he could ill afford now, and these human hormones only made matters more unpredictable. Waap nodded in recognition to the officer, and quickly left the observation deck. He was sure he felt the eyes of the officer boring into his back, but he resisted the urge to look over his shoulder. A cold sweat sent shivers up his neck. He made sure his route took him past his quarters, and once there, he entered.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he studied his reflection in a mirror. The slight lavender tint to his irises showed the level of his discomfort. What do these humans say? he thought. Something about breathing? Deep, slow breaths, that's it! He concentrated on that, blocking out all the sounds of the ship, and soon felt his heart rate reduce. The sweat on his skin dried, and he looked at his reflection again. Yes, better. He was back in control. With a final calming breath, he exited his quarters and made for the bridge.
The door hissed open, and Waap stepped through, right into the path of the junior officer that had summoned him to the bridge. He caught the officer’s eye, who held the stare defiantly until he passed. Waap felt a sweat prickle his forhead, and concentrated on easing his worry as he walked towards his XO, who was looking at him expectantly.
“Report, Hauptmann”
“Sir! We are fully restocked on all supplies and munitions. All systems are green. Wehave received reports from both Daumann and Kruger that pirate activity in Omega-7 is minimal.” Something flashed across Baum’s face that Waap was unable to identify. “We are ready to depart. We merely await your order.”
“Thank you Hauptmann.” Waap took his seat. “Malas, activate the jump gate sequence and take us through.”
He relaxed back into his chair as the Stahlauge entered the gate. The ship shuddered slightly as the jump gate took control, before acceleration kicked in and the light from distant stars warped and stretched. As the deceleration sequence began, the stretching diminished, and just before the stars resolved the Stahlauge pitched into a sickly orange smoke. They’d reached Omega-7.
“Helm!” barked Waap. “Set course for Elbich station, vector seven, seven, four. Impulse engines only. Tactical, keep your eyes open for possible threats.”
The Stahlauge moved off in the direction of Elbich. From there, she altered course, heading deep into the mining fields .
“Sir!” called the communications officer, Friedrich. “We have a report of Hessian ships inbound on our position. Captain Evers, of the Kruger mining vessel Stern, has notified of being pursued by three Odins. He’s vectoring to our location.”
“Battlestations! All crews prepare for live fire! This is the real thing. Hock, bring our weapons online………”
“Sir!” Friedrich interrupted. “The mining vessel’s engines have been disrupted by the Hessians. They are under attack.”
“Malas! Take us in, full cruise. We should be able to stall them enough for the weapons to reactivate. Friedrich, put comms on speaker”
The deck thrummed as the cruise engines kicked in. The Stahlauge leapt forward, small asteroid ricocheting off the shields. Within seconds the stricken mining vessel appeared on scans, along with the three Hessian fighters. Waap opened a transmission
“Hessian vessels, this is Major Thorsten Waap of the RNC cruiser Stahlauge. You will cease and desist your attack on the mining vessel and withdraw, or you will be fired upon.”
The Hessian ships broke off their attack on the miner briefly, though no response to the hail was made. Waap turned to his security chief as she called out
“Twenty seconds until the systems are back online, sir!”
A single transmission from one of the fighters crackled across the bridge speakers.
Negative.
The Hessian fighters renewed their assault on the mining ship. Its’ shields soon fell, and laser fire ripped into its hull.
A transmission from the miner came through then
Mayday! Mayday! Shield generators have been hit. Nanobot levels are depleting rapidly. Our hull is buckling! DO SOMETHING!!
“Hock! I need those weapons online now!”
“Ten seconds, sir!”
“Malas, attack pattern blue seven! Bring us around to minimise risk to the miner!”
“Five seconds, sir!”
The thrusters kicked in, bringing the Hessians into range.
“Open fire!”
Primary turrets unleashed volleys at the Hessian vessels. One disappeared in a ball of fire, the engine reactor core taking a direct hit. The other two vessels took sufficient damage to their shields to make them veer away from the mining vessel.
“Captain Evers! I suggest you use this opportunity to run, sir. We can hold off these two to cover your escape easily enough
I’m way ahead of you, captain. Cruise engines engaging now! You have our gratitude for your timely intervention.
“Hock! Launch countermeasures now. Broad spread.”
The two Hessian fighters swung about, launching disruptors at the mining vessel as its cruise engines engaged and it jumped forward. The disruptors failed to lock on, instead targeting the countermeasures launched by the Stahlauge. As the mining ship disappeared, the Hessians tried to break and run. Primary fire from the cruiser again ripped through the shielding of the fighters, and another was destroyed before the last one was able to thrust out of range of the Stahlauge’s guns.
“Let it go. Hock, do we have an identification on the Hessians?”
“Yes, sir. It appears they were members of a splinter group known as the Rot Front.”
“We shall see if we have stirred up a hornets nest here. Helm, I want an elliptical path taking us through the rest of the northern mining fields, then to the Omega-3 gate, and from there skirting the southern gas fields before heading to Briesen station.”
There was a brief pause before Hauptmann Malas responded. “Course plotted and laid in, Kapitan. Cruise engines will activate in thirty seconds.”
**…..readiness…-We- arrive…scouts/lure set course(interception)…sabotage yours{responsibility}…..
“….sir? Kapitan?”
Waap focussed. Baum was leaning over, a look of concern – suspicion? - on his face.
“Kapitan! I have unidentified vessels on long range scans. They are keeping range on us, sir. Two vessels. Extrapolations suggest they are of approximate gunboat size. We are not close enough for detailed scans, sir, but it appears the vessels may have an organic component.” Haptmann Hock looked up at that point, worry etched across her brow. She looked back at her console. “Sir! The vessels are withdrawing. We have lost their signal, sir.”
Waap knew this was the time to keep them busy, off balance.
“Helm, continue on our current course. Hock, see what you can do to boost the scanner range. If those vessels reappear I want to know about it before they do. Report to Hauptmann Fokke immediately!” Hock saluted and headed off the bridge. Waap turned to his XO. “Hauptmann, you have the bridge. I shall be in my ready room.”
He left the bridge, heading directly for his ready room. Once there, he poured himself a glass of water, settled into his chair, and waited, his eyes never leaving the door. Five minutes later, there was a knock.
“Enter,” called Waap, sitting up. The door opened, and Hauptmann Baum entered the room. Waap acknowledged him with a nod. The Hauptmann looked nervous, wringing his hands briefly before he straightened, and moved to stand directly before Waap.
“Kapitan.” He swallowed, licking his lips. “It is my belief that one of our evaluation scenarios is to identify an enemy agent within the crew. I have observed many inconsistencies in the behaviour of one of the crewmembers, and it is my belief that they must be removed from their position to ensure the safety of this ship. Sir, I believe that person to be you!”
Waap leaned back into his chair, wondering when the armed guards would enter. He was confused. He studied Baum closely. The man looked uneasy, worried. A slight sweat sheened his forehead, and the straightness of his posture was deteriorating as he awaited a response from Waap. Understanding blossomed as he reconsidered what Baum had just said.
He thinks this is just an exercise! A puzzle to be worked out and a reward to be gained!
Waap relaxed and smiled.
“Well done, Hauptmann. You have proved yourself insightful. I shall be making a report to high command. You made just one small error in judgement, however.” Waap raised himself from his chair. “In accusing a senior officer of treason, you should always ensure you have sufficient backup to enforce your accusations. In coming to me alone, you leave open the opportunity for me to silence you.” Baum drew breath as he realised his mistake, and tensed. Waap, however, continued. “However, given your inexperience, and your obvious aptitude, I think it right for me to simply advise you of your error, so that you do not make it again. Should you ever be in a situation where the security of your ship is under threat, you must be prepared to act with ruthless precision, Hauptmann. Remember that.”
Baum relaxed then, and Waap started forward for the door. As he passed Baum’s shoulder though, he spoke again.
“This, however, was no scenario.”
Baum gasped and in his surprise twisted to look directly at Waap. As his head spun, Waap reached and took hold, and with all his strength twisted in the direction it was already moving. There was a loud crack, and Baum’s body fell to the floor, his wide, staring eyes rapidly draining of life.
**…..Attack(immediate)…-My- position tenuous(discovered?)…-We- must act{urgency}…..**
**…..{understanding}…-We- descend…..**
Waap brushed down his uniform and stepped over the body, closing the door to his ready room carefully behind him. No crewmembers were in the corridors, and it was irrelevant now if any had seen Baum enter. He headed directly for the bridge. Within ten feet of the door, emergency sirens wailed, and red alert was activated. The door to the bridge opened and he strode in. Hauptmann Hock stood up from the captains chair.
“Hauptmann Hock!” Waap shouted. “Where the hell is my XO?”
“Sir! Hauptmann Baum left the bridge approximately ten minutes ago, saying he was heading for your ready room, sir!”
“Get a security detail looking for him, Hauptmann. He never arrived, and it appears we have hostiles in bound. Report!”
“Sir! We have four vessels on an intercept course.” She started to move back to her station. “Two of the vessels match the unrecognised vessels we detected earlier. They are confirmed as Scorpion gunboats. It’s the Wilde, sir! They are accompanied by what appear to be two 140-ARKN-N58 class Bergelmir bombers. Readings show these as military vessels, sir, but we are reading energy signatures that match nothing we have seen before.”
“Battlestations!” shouted Waap, taking his chair. “Now we get our test. This is the time we see if the StahlAuge has what it takes to survive. Here we see if WE have what it takes to survive. Helm, drop out of cruise. Give us as much time as you can to get our weapons systems online before they are on us! Chief! Divert all available power to the shield and weapons arrays!”
The crew moved about their tasks with fluid precision. The Wilde vessels closed inexorably, as Waap activated the changes to the life support systems he had prepared earlier.
“How are those weapons coming Hock?”
“Weapons online, sir! All shields fully charged!”
“Helm! Attack pattern blue four. Hock, target the Scorpions with our pulses and mortars. Keep those bombers off us with the primaries. I need…….”
“Sir! We have another hostile in bound! Scans are unable to get a fix, sir!”
“Range?”
“8k and closing, sir! It’ll be on us in moments, sir!”
“Hock, concentrate all fire on one of the Scorpions! Break us a hole we can punch out of!” As he shouted that command, he reactivated one of the hull breach scenarios he had programmed in Stuttgart.
“Hull breach! We have a hull breach on deck seven!” came the panicked shout.
“Sir!” shouted Hock. “The additional vessel is a cruiser! Scans show….” She suddenly went quiet. “My god! Sir, it’s the Heilige Eins!”
Dread fell like a blanket across the crew on the bridge. Every Rheinlander had been brought up with the tales of the Heilige Eins, and the role it played in the nomad wars. It’s arrival here certified their doom, and they knew it instinctively.
“Sir, shields are failing!”
“Activate the emergency batteries!” boomed Waap. He was, he realised, enjoying this.“Get the shields back up! All batteries, target the Helige Eins! Helm, get us out of here!”
“Sir, our cruise engines are being disrupted by the Bergelmirs!” came the strained response from Hauptmann Malas.
“Hock! Launch counter measures!”
“Unable to, sir! We used up our supply in getting that miner to safety, sir! The Heilige Eins is firing on us!”
Laser fire ripped into the shields of the Stahlauge, stripping their protection away. Her guns were silenced by precise bursts of fire from the Heilige Eins and the two Bergelmirs, as the Scorpions ripped away her manoeuvring thrusters.
“Sir?” called Katja Hock, helplessly
The unprotected hull of the Stahlauge took massive damage from a mortar shot. Decompression alarms sounded on multiple decks, and Waap had to bite back a laugh as he barked across the ships comms.
“Abandon ship! All crew, abandon ship!!”
Crewmembers left their stations and ran for the escape pods. Waap looked around as the bridge emptied of humans. Within seconds just he and the female, Hock, remained. She approached his chair tentatively.
“Sir, we cannot allow the Stahlauge to fall into the hands of the Wilde. We must activate the self destruct mechanism.”
Waap smiled sadly at her as she approached, and nodded, allowing a look of despair to flicker across his eyes. When she was five feet from him he drew his side arm and fired into her stomach. He was captivated by the shock and surprise on her features, as the colour drained from her face and she sank slowly to the floor. Waap stood as she fumbled for her own weapon, and kicked the gun from her hand as she drew it.
“No, Fraulein, we shall not be doing that. Only now, as your life seeps slowly away from you, do you finally understand your position. Look to your comrades, Fraulein Hock,” he taunted, switching the main viewer to show the escape pods. The display flipped from pod to pod, showing unconscious men and women slumped in their seats. Some, those with a severe reaction to the gas, thrashed and coughed as blood streamed from their eyes, ears and noses. Hock coughed, blood bubbling at her lips. Her eyes filled with hate. Waap stared coldly at her. He’d considered her beautiful once, he remembered. Now she was just another dying human. One less to worry about, he supposed.
“Soon, Fraulein, you shall be enlightened.” He pulled a med-kit from the side of his chair. “You shall not be dying today.”
He knelt at her side, she too weak to withdraw. There was terror in her eyes now, as he cleaned and bound her wound. A mouse as the cat plays with its latest victim. Waap gently wiped the blood from her lips, as the view screen continued to flip through the corridors of the ship. He reached across to his console again, this time opening the bay doors to allow Wilde from the Heilige Eins to board the Stahlauge. They moved about the crew, slaughtering most where they lay, while those most useful, those who had run the Stahlauge so well, were separated off to become hosts for the cruiser’s new crew. Finally they reached the bridge, and moved towards Waap and Hock. Waap smiled at their approach, while Hock merely whimpered.
“Hush, Katja, hush,” crooned Waap. “Things will be easier if you do not resist. You are ours now.”
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